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CANTERBURV    CATHEURAt. 


AGNES  STRICKLAND'S 

QUEENS  OF  ENGLAND 

By  ROSALIE  KAUFMAN 


Vol.  I. 


FULLY   ILLUSTRATED 


BOSTON 
ESTES    &    LAURIAT 

PUBLISHERS 


Su  Stack 

Jtonex        Annex 


Copyrij^ht,  1882,  189^, 
By  Estes  and  Lauriat. 


John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


stack 
Annex 

PREFACE 

Up  to  Queen  Anne,  this  work  is  based  upon  Agnes 
Strickland's  "  Queens  of  England ;  "  but  subsequent  to 
that  period  many  authorities  have  been  consulted,  and 
only  such  matter  used  as  would  seem  appropriate.  My 
first  care  was  to  prepare  a  narrative  which  should  inter- 
est young  people,  but  I  have  endeavored  also  to  produce 
a  result  that  would  prove  a  source,  not  only  of  pleasure, 
but  of  profit.  The  limits  of  the  design  make  it  evident 
that  some  eminent  names  and  noteworthy  events  could 
receive  slight  mention,  or  none  at  all,  and  that  politics 
could  be  introduced  only  when  requisite  for  the  compre- 
hension of  events  that  depended  on  them.  It  will  be  a 
satisfaction  to  hope  that  my  readers  may  be  prompted  to 
independent  inquiry. 


\ 


CONTENTS. 


Pagb 

Matilda  of  Flanders,  Queen  of  William  the  Conqueror  15 

Matilda  of  Scotland,  Queen  of  Henry  1 45 

Matilda  of  Boulogne,  Queen  of  Stephen 74 

Eleanora  of  Aquitaine,  Queen  of  Henry  II 89 

Berengaria  of  Navarre,  Queen  of  Richard  I no 

Isabella  of  Angouleme,  Queen  of  King  John   .       .       .       .123 

Eleanor  of  Provence,  Queen  of  Henry  III 137 

Eleanora  of  Castile,  Queen  of  Edward  1 160 

Marguerite  of  France,  Second  Queen  of  Edward  I.  .  •  175 
Isabella  of  France,  Queen  of  Edward  II.         ....    181 

Philippa  of  Hainault,  Queen  of  Edward  III 214 

Anne  of  Bohemia,  Queen  of  Richard  II 234 

Isabella  of  Valois,  Second  Queen  of  Richard  II.   .  .    243 

Joanna  of  Navarre,  Queen  of  Henry  IV.  .        .       .        .  254 

Katherine  of  Valois,  Queen  of  Henry  V 263 

Margaret  of  Anjou,  Queen  of  Henry  VI 280 

Elizabeth  Woodville,  Queen  of  Edward  IV 316 

Anne  of  Warwick,  Queen  of  Richard  III 327 

Elizabeth  of  York,  Queen  of  Henry  VII 332 

Katharine  of  Arragon,  First  Queen  of  Henry  VIII.     .       .    342 

Anne  Boleyn,  Second  Queen  of  Henry  VIII 378 

Jane  Seymour,  Third  Queen  of  Henry  VIII 403 

Anne  of  Cleves,  Fourth  Queen  of  Henry  VIII.  .  .  .409 
Katharine  Howard,  Fifth  Queen  of  Henry  VIII.  .  .  .422 
Katharine  Parr,  Sixth  Queen  of  Henry  VIII 43° 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Canterbury  Cathedral Frontispiece 

Matilda  of  Flanders 14 

Norman  Arches 16 

William  the  Conqueror 19 

William  the  Conqueror,  from  Tapestries 21 

Conqueror  and  Conquered 23 

Landing  of  William  the  Conqueror 25 

Ruins  of  Hastings 29 

Battle  of  Hastings,  from  Bayeux  Tapestries 31 

Old  Westminster 33 

Ships  of  William  the  Conqueror,  from  Tapestries 36 

The  Tower 37 

Robert  Discovers  his  Father 39 

Trophy  of  Norman  and  Saxon  Arms 41 

Pleasure  Barge  on  the  Thames 44 

Matilda  of  Scotland 47 

Queen  Margaret's  Chapel   .        .  • 51 

The  Beacon 53 

Death  of  the  Red  King 55 

College  at- Oxford 59 

Playing  at  Bowls 61 

Norman  Font 65 

Exterior  Pulpit 66 

Ancient  Windsor  Castle 68 

Abbey  of  St.  Etienne 71 

Norman  Tower        .        .                73 

Entrance  to  Norman  Chapel •        •  75 

Arundel  Castle 78 

Horn 79 

Scold's  Bridle 80 


X  List  of  Illustrations. 

PAGK 

A  Battle g, 

Escape  from  Oxford g, 

Norman  Robe gg 

The  Pilgrim 90 

Eleanora  of  Aquitaine 01 

Crusaders  on  their  March 05 

The  Maze j^j 

Godstowe  Nunnery jq2 

Murder  of  Thomas  \  Becket 10^ 

Tomb  of  Henry  II 107 

Berengaria  of  Navarre i,, 

Leaders  of  the  First  Crusade 1 1  - 

Capture  of  Acre no 

Costimies  of  the  Period 122 

Isabella  of  Angouleme 125 

The  Crypt  in  Old  Windsor ,2g 

John's  Anger  after  Signing  Magna  Charta 129 

Magna  Charta  Island 112 

Interior  of  Gloucester  Cathedral i-jj 

Eleanor  of  Provence ixq 

Angel  Tower  and  Chapter-House,  Canterbury 143 

Chapter-House,  York 147 

Alnwick  Castle,  Northumberland 151 

Gateway  and  Keep,  Alnwick 153 

King  Henry  and  his  Barons 155 

Archers ico 

Eleanora  of  Castile 161 

Attempt  on  Edward's  Life 165 

Caernarvon  Castle 171 

Marguerite  of  France    .        .        .        .     ^ 177 

Old  Charing  Cross 180 

Isabella  of  France •        .        .        .        .  183 

Retainer's  Hall igo 

Westminster  Hall 193 

Under  the  Tower igj 

City  HaD,  Valenciennes 201 

Old  Fort  at  Oxford ,        .  .205 

Edward  II.  and  his  JaUers 210 

Tomb  of  Edward  II.,  Gloucester  Cathedral 211 

Philippa  of  Hainault 215 

Doorway 219 

Philippa  on  her  Knees  before  the  King 227 

T«nb  of  Edward  III 231 


List  of  Illustrations.  xi 

PAGE 

Anne  of  Bohemia 235 

Houses  on  Old  London  Bridge 239 

Beards 242 

Isabella  of  Valois 245 

Body  of  Richard  interred  at  Westminster 251 

Joanna  of  Navarre 255 

Shrewsbury 258 

Before  Agincourt        . 259 

Costumes 262 

Katherine  of  Valois 265 

Friar  Bacon's  Study 267 

Donjon  at  Vincennes 277 

Margaret  of  Anjou 281 

Ruins  of  Kenihvorth  Castle 293 

Royal  Apartments 297 

Warwick  Castle 305 

View  of  Verdun 311 

Elizabeth  WoodviUe 317 

Windsor  Castle 321 

Vault  of  St.  George's  Chapel 324 

Bloody  Tower 325 

Crjpt  in  Tower 326 

Anne  of  Warwick 329 

Dungeon,  Tower 331 

Elizabeth  of  York 333 

Chapel  of  Henry  VII 34° 

Costumes 34' 

Katherine  of  Arragon 343 

TheAlhambra 347 

London  Bridge 35° 

Reception  Room 353 

Richmond  Church 355 

Richmond  Palace 359 

Bedroom  of  Henry  VIII.,  Knoll  Castle 3^3 

House  of  Sir  Thomas  More 3^8 

Wolsey's  Tower 373 

Beheading  Block  and  Axe        . 377 

Anne  Boleyn 379 

Hever  Castle 3^5 

Whitehall,  Wolsey's  Palace "^ 

Anne  Boleyn's  Chamber,  Hever  Castle 390 

Watergate,  Tower 393 

Hampton  Court 397 


xii  List  of  Illustrations. 


jane  Seymour 405 

Hampton  Court,  Garden  Front 408 

Waterloo  Bridge  and  Somerset  House 420 

Guard  Chamber,  Lambeth  Palace 421 

Heads  on  Old  London  Bridge 423 

Court  Gardens    . 425 

Stairway 429 

Katharine  Parr 431 

Old  St.  Paul's 437 

Essex  House , 443 


STORIES   OF   THE    LIVES 


THE   QUEENS  OF  ENGLAND. 


COMPILED  FROM  AGNES  STRICKLAND,  FOR 
YOUNG  PEOPLE, 


BY   ROSALIE   KAUFMAN. 


MATILDA    OF   FLANDERS,  FIRST  QUEEN    OF   ENGLAND. 


THE 

QUEENS   OF    ENGLAND. 


CHAPTER  I. 


MATILDA   OF  FLANDERS,   WIFE    OF  WILLIAM  THE 
CONQUEROR   (1031-1083). 

Matilda,  wife  of  the  great  William,  the  Conqueror,  was 
an  exceedingly  handsome  woman,  and  as  she  had  received 
the  best  education  that  was  possible  in  her  times,  she  was 
as  celebrated  for  her  learning  as  for  her  beauty.  She  was, 
besides,  generous  and  religious,  and  had  all  the  qualities 
necessary  for  the  position  she  was  called  upon  to  fill. 

She  was  famed  for  her  fancy-work,  which  was  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  most  important  and  desirable  occupa- 
tions for  ladies  of  rank ;  and  any  woman  who  could  spin, 
weave  and  embroider  was  considered  quite  a  treasure. 

Matilda  had  three  cousins  who  were  such  skilful  needle- 
women, that  they  were  sought  in  marriage  by  the  greatest 
princes  of  Europe.  Their  work  has  not  been  preserved, 
but  Matilda's  still  remains  and  is  called  the  Bayeux  Tapes- 
try. It  is  the  most  wonderful  achievement  in  needlework 
ever  accomplished  by  any  woman.  But  we  shall  tell  more 
about  it,  by-and-bye. 

Matilda's  father  was  Earl  of  Flanders,  a  rich,  powerful 
prince,  skilled  in  the  arts  of  peace  and  war.  He  was,  be- 
sides,   such   a   popular   man   that   all   the   rulers  in    his 


i6 


The  Queens  of  England. 


neighborhood  were  anxious  to  win  the  hand  of  his  beauti- 
ful daughter. 

Her  cousin,  William  of  Normandy,  was  the  most  accom- 
plished of  them  all,  and  loved  her  devotedly.  He  was 
handsome,  brave  and  talented,  and  so  strong,  that,  it  is 
said,  no  man  could  bend  his  bow  but  himself.     And  he  was 

such  a  sure  marks- 
man, that  even  when 
riding  at  full  speed, 
he  seldom  missed  his 
aim.  It  is  remark- 
able that  although 
he  was  the  tallest 
man  in  his  army,  he 
passed  through  all 
his  battles  without 
the  loss  of  a  drop  of 
blood,  until  towards 
the  close  of  his  ca- 
reer, when  he  was 
wounded  by  his  own 
son. 

Strange     to     say, 

this  young  man  did 

not  find  favor  in  the 

eyes  of  his  lady  cousin  at  all ;  this  mortified  him  so  much, 

that  he  resolved  to  win  her  in  spite  of  herself. 

He  had  a  rival  in  a  young  Saxon  nobleman  named 
Brihtric  Meaw,  who  had  come  to  Flanders  as  ambassador 
from  Edward  the  Confessor,  then  on  the  British  throne. 
This  favored  gentleman  was  so  fair  and  light-haired  that 
he  was  nicknamed >"  Snow."  Matilda  loved  him  in  secret, 
which  is  probably  the  reason  why  she  would  not  listen  to 
her  cousin  William. 


NORMAN    ARCHERS. 


I052.  Matilda  of  Flanders.  I» 

But  Brihtric  Meaw  does  not  seem  to  have  cared  particu. 
larly  for  her,  and  so  did  not  find  out  what  her  sentiments 
were  towards  him.  Thus,  quite  innocently,  he  never  at- 
tempted to  court  her,  and  she  could  not  forgive  his  indiffer- 
ence. Still  her  mind  was  filled  with  him,  and  this  made 
her  treat  William  coldly.  He  was  not  to  be  baffled,  how- 
ever, but  courted  her  through  seven  long  and  tedious  years. 

At  last  he  became  Impatient,  so  one  day  when  Matilda 
was  going  home  from  church,  he  managed  to  meet  her,  as 
lovers  will.  Perhaps  she  was  more  unkind  to  him  than 
usual  and  made  him  angry,  otherwise  I  do  not  know  how 
to  account  for  his  behavior  on  that  occasion,  but  he  seized 
hold  of  her,  rolled  her  in  the  dirt,  then  actually  beat  her. 
Before  she  had  time  to  call  for  help,  after  she  had  recovered 
from  her  surprise,  he  jumped  on  his  horse,  and  rode  off  as 
fast  as  he  could  go. 

Now,  she  might  have  been  induced  to  forgive  him  for 
spoiling  her  good  clothes,  but  how  she  could  have  had  any- 
thing more  to  do  with  a  fellow,  no  matter  what  his  rank 
might  be,  who  could  dare  to  treat  her  so  brutally,  is  hard  to 
understand.  Perhaps  the  women  were  not  so  high  spirited 
then  as  they  are  now,  but  certain  it  is  that  instead  of  getting 
into  a  rage,  stamping  her  feet  and  forbidding  him  ever 
to  approach  her  again,  the  princess  was  won.  This  re- 
markable style  of  love-making  went  straight  to  her  heart, 
and  brought  matters  to  a  crisis.  It  may  be  that  she  feared 
another  beating,  or  that  she  was  finally  convinced  of  the 
greatness  of  his  love ;  whatever  it  was,  she  consented  to 
become  his  wife,  forthwith. 

The  wedding  was  celebrated  at  William's  Castle  in  Nor- 
mandy, Matilda  having  gone  there  accompanied  by  her 
parents,  and  a  large  retinue  of  ladies  and  gentlemen.  Her 
trousseau  was  magnificent,  and  on  her  wedding  day  she 
wore  a  superb  velvet  robe  embroidered  with  gold  and 


1 8  The  Queens  of  England. 

pearls.  It  was  so  rich  and  costly,  that  it  was  for  a  long 
time  preserved  in  the  treasury  of  the  Cathedral  of  Bayeux 
with  William's  mantle  and  helmet,  which  were  adorned 
with  precious  stones. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  William's  affairs  were  in  a 
most  perilous  condition,  for  he  was  surrounded  by  powerful 
neighbors  who  wanted  to  get  possession  of  the  rich  fields 
of  Normandy.  They  hoped  to  divide  them  among  them- 
selves and  leave  the  duke  nothing.  He  had  enemies 
among  his  own  subjects  too,  who  would  have  been  pleased 
to  turn  him  off  and  have  his  cousin  Guy  of  Burgundy  to 
govern  them,  because  they  thought  he  had  a  better  right  to 
the  dukedom  of  Normandy  than  William  had.  Perhaps 
this  was  so,  but  the  latter  had  too  determined  a  will  to 
yield,  and  he  had  been  a  leader  nearly  all  his  life. 

When  he  was  only  five  years  old,  he  formed  a  battalion 
of  boys  of  his  own  age  whom  he  drilled  in  military  prac- 
tice every  day.  It  must  have  been  a  pretty  sight,  and  no 
doubt  the  little  fellows  fancied  themselves  real  warriors. 
Of  course  disputes  arose,  all  of  which  William  settled  with 
remarkable  skill. 

He  was  a  good  student  too,  for  he  knew  enough  of 
Latin  at  eight  years  of  age,  to  read  and  explain  Caesar's 
Commentaries. 

When  he  was  about  seven,  his  father,  Duke  Robert, 
went  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land.  But  before  he 
did  so,  he  assembled  all  the  nobles  of  his  realm,  and  made 
them  swear  fealty  to  his  bright,  promising  child,  whom  he 
hugged  and  kissed  tenderly,  then  presented  to  his  subjects 
as  their  future  Sovereign,  saying :  "  He  is  little,  but  he 
will  grow." 

Not  long  after  this,  Henry,  King  of  France,  invaded 
William's  dominion,  but  he  was  defeated,  because  the 
young  duke  had  such  excellent  advisers  and  assistants. 


WILLIAM    THE   CONQUEROR. 


10S2. 


Matilda  of  Flanders. 


21 


The  King  was  so  indignant  at  this  defeat,  that  he  in- 
cited the  Norman  nobles  to  stir  up  an  insurrection,  hoping, 
no  doubt,  to  punish  the  boy  by  depriving  him  of  his  title, 
altogether. 

Once  when  William  was  out  hunting,  he  passed  the 
night  at  a  remote  castle  without  military  escort.  His 
cousin,  Guy  of  Burgundy,  hearing  of  it,  laid  a  plot  to  kill 
him,  but  this  was  prevented  by 
the  Court  fool,  who  accident- 
ally found  it  out  and  travelled 
all  night,  at  full  speed,  to  warn 
the  Duke  of  his  danger.  He 
managed  to  get  into  the  castle 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  knocked  violently  on 
William's  chamber  door  with 
the  handle  of  his  whip,  shout- 
ing :  "  get  up !  get  up,  my 
lord !  "  William  obeyed  the 
summons,  and  mounting  his 
swiftest  horse,  half  dressed, 
rode  with  fiery  speed  for  many 
hours  before  he  was  beyond 
danger.     Even  while  making 

his  escape,  he  might  have  been  caught,  for  his  horse  was 
almost  exhausted  when  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  a 
gentleman  who  supplied  him  with  another. 

Later,  the  young  duke  had  a  chance  to  turn  the  tables 
on  his  cousin,  Guy,  whom  he  captured  in  battle.  But  re- 
membering that  they  had  been  friends  in  early  childhood, 
William  forgave  the  attempt  his  cousin  had  made  on  his 
life,  and  released  him. 

The  King  of  France  was  just  planning  another  attack 
on  William's  dominions  when  the  young  man  married,  and 


PICTURE   OF   WILLIAM,   FROM 
TAPESTRIES. 


22  The  Queens  of  England. 

then  Matilda's  father  became  such  a  powerful  ally  that  the 
king  hesitated.  Soon  after  he  died.  Relieved  of  this 
anxiety,  the  duke  thought  he  might  settle  down  and  enjoy 
the  society  of  his  young  wife;  but,  the  Archbishop  of 
Rouen,  who  had  reasons  of  his  own  for  trying  to  prevent 
the  marriage,  pronounced  it  unlawful,  and  the  young 
couple  were  so  distressed  that  they  appealed  to  the  Pope, 
He  decided  that  if  each  would  build  and  endow  an  Ab- 
bey, as  well  as  a  hospital  for  the  blind,  he  would  grant 
them  dispensation.  This  was  not  difficult,  so  Matilda 
founded  the  Holy  Trinity  for  Nuns,  and  William  founded 
the  Monastery  of  St.  Stephen. 

Then  William  set  to  work  to  erect  a  palace  for  his  own 
dwelling  very  near  the  Monastery.  Matilda  had  a  great 
taste  for  architecture  and  took  pleasure  in  superintending 
these  buildings.  The  great  hall  of  the  palace  was  one  of 
the  finest  apartments  in  all  Europe  and  the  edifice  itself 
was  superb. 

This  royal  couple  did  everything  to  render  their  subjects 
happy  and  contented,  and  provided  work  for  them  by 
building  ships  and  harbors,  which  promoted  trade  also. 

Though  we  know  that  Matilda  did  not  love  her  husband 
before  marriage,  she  became  a  devoted  wife  afterwards, 
and  William  showed  his  entire  confidence  in  her  by  leaving 
her  to  govern  his  country  when  he  went  over  to  England 
to  obtain  a  promise  from  Edward  the  Confessor  that  he 
would  adopt  him  as  successor  to  the  throne. 

He  was  kindly  received  in  England,  and  Edward  gave 
him  some  fine  hawks,  hounds  and  other  presents.  Then 
Matilda  had  a  little  boy  whose  birth  added  considerably  to 
her  happiness.  He  was  called  Robert,  after  his  grand- 
papa, and  there  was  great  rejoicing  in  Normandy  over  this 
event.  If  they  could  have  foreseen  how  he  would  turn 
out,  the  feeling  would  have  been  very  different. 


io66. 


Matilda  of  Flanders. 


23 


In  course  of  time  Matilda  had  eight  other  children,  and 
during  many  years  of  peace  and  national  prosperity,  she 
and  her  husband  devoted  themselves  to  their  care  and  ed- 
ucation. 

[A.D.  1065.]     Now  it  happened  that  once,  when  Har- 
old, Edward  the  Confessor's  half  brother,  was  out  fishing 
in  an  open  boat,  he  was  overtaken  by  a  storm  and  obliged  to 
seek  refuge  in  the  territory 
of  the  Earl  of  Ponthieu,  who 
seized  him  and  shut  him  up 
in  prison.     William  rescued 
him,  treated  him  most  kind- 
ly, and  even  promised  him 
one  of  his  daughters  in  mar- 
riage, though  she  was  but 
seven  years  old. 

Harold  acted  like  a  sneak, 
and  pretended  to  be  highly 
flattered  ;  but  it  was  not  his 
intention  ever  to  marry  the 
girl  at  all. 

He  listened  to  William's 
narration  of  how  Edward 
had  adopted  him  as  his  suc- 
cessor to  the  British  throne, 
and  made  a  solemn  promise 

to  assist  him  to  get  it.  Soon  after  his  return  to  England, 
he  married  the  widow  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  at 
Edward's  death  he  took  no  notice  of  his  promise  to  Wil- 
liam, but  had  himself  proclaimed  king. 

Of  course  such  conduct  aroused  William's  wrath,  and, 
with  the  aid  of  his  wife's  relations,  he  resolved  to  invade 
England. 

[A.D.  1066.]     This  was  the  year  1066,  and  a  memorable 


CONQUEROR  AND  CONQUERED. 


24  The  Queens  of  England. 

one  on  account  of  the  appearance  in  the  heavens  of  a 
splendid  three-tailed  comet.  We  are  pleased  to  have 
such  a  visitor  and  to  be  able  to  gaze  at  it  and  study  it  with 
the  aid  of  telescopes,  but  in  that  time  the  people  were  so 
superstitious  that  they  thought  it  portended  evil,  and  so  it 
spread  terror  throughout  the  land.  The  death  of  the 
King,  which  occurred  only  a  few  days  after  its  appearance, 
served  to  encourage  the  superstition.  When  the  astrol- 
ogers foretold  its  approach  they  announced  it  thus : 

"  In  the  year  one  thousand  and  sixty-six, 
Comets  to  England's  sons  an  end  shall  fix." 

One  of  the  largest  and  finest  pieces  of  handiwork  that 
Matilda  accomplished,  was  the  tapestry  representing 
this  comet  in  the  heavens  with  its  three  fiery  tails  spread 
all  across  the  canvas.  A  group  of  terror-stricken  Saxon 
princeSj  priests  and  ladies  have  rushed  out  of  their  dwell- 
ings to  look  at  it,  and  are  pointing  towards  it,  their  faces 
expressing  the  utmost  anxiety.  To  be  sure  the  comet 
looked,  when  compared  with  the  objects  in  the  picture,  a 
great  deal  larger  than  it  could  possibly  have  been,  but 
probably,  the  size  was  suggested  by  the  awe  it  inspired. 

Matilda  did  not  do  all  this  work  alone;  if  she  had, 
Hood's  Song  of  the  Shirt  might  well  apply  to  the  hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  cross  stitches  that  she  would  have 
made,  and  we  should  pity  her  for  having  such  a  weary 
task.  But  she  was  assisted  by  all  the  ladies  of  her  court, 
who  laughed  and  chatted  merrily  while  their  hands  were 
busily  employed. 

Well,  William  started  on  his  expedition  to  England, 
leaving  his  wife  to  rule  at  home,  and  his  son  Robert,  then 
only  thirteen  years  of  age,  military  chief  of  Normandy. 

A  large  number  of  his  subjects  objected  to  this  invasion, 
SO  when  the  whole  fleet  was  becalmed  at  St.  Valleri,  the 


LANDING    OF    WILLIAM    THE    CONQUEROR. 

'  By  the  splendor  of  God,  I  have  seized  England  with  both  hands." 


io66.  Matilda  of  Flanders.  27 

common  soldiers  complained  and  declared  that  God  was 
their  adversary,  and  had  stopped  the  wind  to  keep  them 
back.  The  king  did  not  know  what  to  say  to  this,  but  at 
last  he  hit  upon  something  that  he  knew  would  impress 
them.  He  ordered  the  shrine  of  St.  Valleri  to  be  brought 
from  the  tomb  and  placed  in  an  open  field,  then  invited 
everybody  to  pray  to  the  saint  to  intercede  with  the  Al- 
mighty for  a  breeze.  Crowds  of  people  far  and  near,  as 
well  as  the  Norman  soldiers,  brought  offerings,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  shrine  was  buried  in  the  gold,  silver  and 
other  precious  gifts  that  they  placed  upon  it.  The  wind 
did  not  immediately  change,  but  the  malcontents  had 
something  to  think  about,  and  the  delay  gave  Matilda  time 
to  carry  out  a  pleasant  surprise  that  she  had  planned  for 
her  husband.  One  day  she  appeared  in  the  harbor  on  a 
splendid  vessel  of  war  that  she  had  caused  to  be  built  as 
a  present  for  William.  She  called  it  the  Mora.  At  the 
prow  of  the  vessel  was  a  gold  image  of  their  youngest 
son.  With  one  hand  he  held  a  trumpet  to  his  lips,  and 
with  the  other  a  bow  with  the  arrow  aimed  towards 
England.  Loud  cheering  and  joyful  exclamations  greeted 
Matilda's  appearance,  and  her  husband  was  overcome  by 
this  mark  of  her  affection. 

The  Mora  carried  a  red  flag  at  her  mast-head  by  day ;  it 
was  replaced  at  night  by  a  bright  light  that  served  as  a 
guide  for  the  other  vessels  of  the  fleet.  Scarcely  was  the 
duke  well  established  on  board  than  the  long  wished-for 
wind  arose,  every  man  was  summoned  to  his  post,  and  they 
set  sail.     Matilda  went  back  home. 

The  Norman  fleet  met  some  very  rough  weather  and  lost 
two  of  their  ships.  On  the  28th  of  September,  1066,  they 
landed  on  the  coast  of  Sussex. 

The  duke  was  the  last  person  to  step  on  shore.  As  he 
did  so,  he  stumbled  and  fell.     Probably  he  was  still  giddy 


28  The  Queens  of  England. 

from  the  motion  of  the  vessel,  but  his  followers  thought  it 
an  evil  omen  and  raised  a  great  cry  of  distress.  The 
duke's  presence  of  mind  did  not  desert  him.  He  picked 
up  two  handfuls  of  sand,  exclaiming :  "  See,  Seigneurs ! 
by  the  splendor  of  God,  I  have  seized  England  with  both 
hands ! " 

Then  a  meal  was  served  on  the  beach,  and  afterwards 
the  soldiers  having  selected  a  spot,  began  to  put  up  the 
wooden  fortress  that  they  had  brought  in  sections,  from 
Normandy. 

A  piece  of  Matilda's  tapestry  represents  the  soldiers, 
assisting  the  carpenters  and  builders  in  this  work. 

The  army  tarried  four  days  on  the  beach.  But  there 
were  no  telegraphs  or  newspapers  in  those  days,  so  Harold 
knew  nothing  of  the  approach  of  his  enemy  until  a  knight 
arrived  from  Sussex,  having  ridden  all  the  way  without 
food  or  rest,  and  rushing  into  his  presence  shouted  at  the 
top  of  his  voice :  "  The  Normans  have  come !  they  have 
landed  at  Hastings  and  built  up  a  fort !  they  will  rend  the 
land  from  thee  and  thine  unless  thou  defend  it  well ! " 
Harold  sent  a  messenger  offering  to  buy  off  the  Normans, 
but  William  replied  that  he  had  not  come  for  money,  but 
to  claim  the  realm  that  Edward  the  Confessor  had  given 
him. 

"Nay;  you  ask  too  much  of  us,  Sire,"  said  the  messen- 
ger. "  Harold  is  willing  to  purchase  your  departure  with 
silver,  gold  and  fine  garments,  but  if  you  refuse,  he  will 
give  you  battle  on  Saturday  night." 

The  duke  accepted  the  challenge.  The  night  preceding 
the  battle  was  passed  by  the  English  in  dancing,  singing 
and  gambling ;  but  the  Normans  prayed,  fasted,  and  con- 
fessed their  sins. 

The  battle  was  fought  seven  miles  from  Hastings. 
Taillefer,  the  warrior  minstrel  of  Normandy,  rode  gallantly 


io66. 


Matilda  of  Flanders. 


31 


at  the  head  of  the  chivalry  of  his  native  land,  singing  the 
war  songs  of  Rollo.  William  had  three  horses  killed 
under  him  that  day  without  receiving  a  single  scratch  him- 
self. Harold  was  killed,  and  the  victorious  Duke  William 
pitched  his  tent  on  the  battle-field  that  night. 

When  Matilda  received  the  joj^ul  tidings  of  her  hus- 
band's triumph,  she  was  praying  in  a  church,  which,  she 
ordered  to  be  forever  after  called  Notre  Dame  de  Bonnes 
Nouvelles,  in  memory  of  the  good  news  she  had  received 
there. 

A  celebrated  piece  of  embroidery  made  by  her  after  the 
victory  represents  her  husband  pointing  towards  his  noble 
steed.  He  is  dressed  in  a  complete  suit  of  armor,  and 
the  likeness  is  said  to  be  as  perfect  as  it  could  be,  repre- 
sented in  cross  stitch. 


I 


BATTLE   OF    HASTINGS,   FROM    BAYEUX    TAPESTRIES. 


CHAPTER   II. 

[A.D.  1066.]  On  the  Monday  following  the  battle  of 
Hastings,  William  rode  into  the  city  of  London,  on  horse- 
back, followed  by  a  long  train  of  the  nobility  of  England 
and  Normandy.  He  proceeded  to  Westminster  Abbey, 
where  he  was  crowned  King  of  England. 

Grand  preparations  had  been  made  for  this  event,  and 
such  a  brilliant  coronation  had  never  been  seen.  Crowds 
of  people  gathered  in  the  streets,  and  the  duke's  fine 
presence  and  noble  bearing  won  all  hearts. 

Holding  the  crown  aloft  the  archbishop  asked  the 
nobles  assembled,  if  they  were  willing  to  receive  this  duke 
for  their  king.  They  were  so  boisterous  in  their  eager 
assent,  that  the  Norman  soldiers  who  had  assembled 
outside  the  Abbey  in  case  their  protection  should  be 
needed,  mistook  the  noise  for  the  rising  of  the  Saxons,  and 
set  fire  to  most  of  the  buildings  in  the  neighborhood.  It 
required  prompt  action  on  the  part  of  the  more  sober- 
minded  of  the  Normans,  to  prevent  the  flames  from  de- 
stroying the  Abbey  itself.  William  was  dismayed  at  this 
occurrence,  and  it  was  not  until  he  showed  himself  in  his 
coronation  robes  and  crown,  that  his  followers  could  be 
restored  to  order  and  quiet. 

Now,  one  would  naturally  suppose  that  in  those  rude 
times,  Matilda's  neighbors  would  have  taken  advantage  of 
her  husband's  absence  to  invade  her  dominion,  but  she 
governed  with  so  much  skill  and  prudence  that  they  did 

3- 


io66. 


Matilda  of  Flanders. 


33 


not  venture  to  molest  her,  and  she  made  herself  universally 
beloved  and  respected. 

Having  recounted  the  good  traits  of  this  queen,  it  is 
only  fair  to  present  the  bad  ones  too,  because  nobody  is 
entirely  without  faults,  yet  it  is  painful  to  be  obliged  to  re- 
fer to  one  very  dark  deed  of  which  she  was  guilty. 


OLD    WESTMINSTER   ABBEY. 


She  must  have  had  a  large  share  of  vanity,  for  she 
never  forgave  Brihtric  Meaw  because  he  did  not  return 
her  early  affection,  and  fourteen  years  later  she  sought  re- 
venge in  this  wise  :  She  persuaded  her  husband  to  deprive 
Meaw  of  all  his  lands  and  bestow  them  on  her ;  then  she 
had  him  put  in  prison  where,  after  several  months,  he  died. 
This  was  a  very  serious  crime,  and  it  is  hard  to  understand 
how  a  woman  with  everything  in  the  world  to  make  her 


34  TJie  Queens  of  England. 

happy,  and  with  qualities  so  fine  and  noble  as  Matilda's 
certainly  were,  could  have  been  capable  of  it. 

After  an  absence  of  six  months,  William  returned  to 
Normandy,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  Saxon  noble- 
men. He  brought  a  large  quantity  of  costly  spoils, 
among  which  were  garments  richly  embroidered  in  sil- 
ver and  gold  by  the  skilful  hands  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
women,  whose  beautiful  work  was  renowned  all  over  the 
world. 

The  whole  summer  was  spent  by  the  royal  couple  in 
travelling  and  amusements  until  news  was  brought  to  Wil- 
liam that  his  Saxon  subjects  were  planning  an  insurrection, 
when  he  hastened  back  to  England.  He  arrived  before 
any  ver}'  serious  steps  had  been  taken. 

He  now  began  to  see  that  his  position  would  be  in 
every  respect  more  agreeable,  and  his  subjects  would  be 
better  satisfied  if  he  had  his  family  at  court,  so  he  sent  a 
numerous  company  over  to  Normandy  to  conduct  them  to 
England. 

[A.D.  1068.]  They  proceeded  at  once  to  W'inchester, 
where  the  queen's  coronation  took  place  with  great  pomp 
and  ceremony.  In  order  to  render  it  still  more  imposing, 
William  had  himself  crowned  a  second  time,  but  on  this 
occasion  there  was  no  such  excitement  as  disturbed  the 
first  crowning.  Everybody  was  charmed  with  the  graceful, 
majestic  appearance  of  the  new  queen,  though  some  of  the 
Saxons  objected  to  her  being  called  Regina.  which  is  the 
Latin  word,  signifying  Queen,  However,  William  insisted 
upon  this  honor  being  conferred  on  his  wife  ;  though  pre- 
vious to  his  reign  all  the  wives  of  the  various  kings  had 
simply  been  termed  "  the  Ijidy,  his  companion."  To  be 
sure,  few  of  the  queens  of  England  could  claim  more 
illustrious  descent  than  Matilda  ;  for  Alfred,  the  best  and 
noblest  of  their  sovereigns,  was  one  of  her  ancestors,  and 


fo68.  Matilda  of  Flanders.  35 

she  was  connected  with  most  of  the  royal  families  in 
Europe. 

After  the  coronation  ceremony,  a  grand  banquet  was 
serv^ed,  at  which  both  the  king  and  queen  presided. 

Now,  Matilda  had  to  be  served  by  her  new  subjects,  the 
English,  because  they  would  not  have  been  satisfied  if  she 
had  kept  only  her  Norman  ladies  in  attendance. 

The  king  was  so  happy  that  he  bestowed  favors  right 
and  left  in  order  to  gain  the  affection  of  the  nation.  He 
also  revived  some  of  the  old  offices  at  court,  which  was  a 
very  popular  act.  Among  these,  was  that  of  grand  pan- 
netier,  whose  duty  it  was  to  carry  the  salt  and  the  carving- 
knives  from  the  pantry  to  the  king's  dining-table  on  state 
occasions.  His  fees  were  the  salt-cellars,  spoons,  knives, 
and  bread-covers  laid  on  the  royal  table.  Forks  were  not 
among  the  luxuries  of  William  the  Conqueror's  day,  when 
people  must  have  verified  the  proverb  of  later  times,  that 
"  fingers  were  made  before  forks."  The  Manor  of  Ad- 
dington  was  presented  to  the  cook  for  preparing  a  kind  of 
white  soup  that  tickled  his  majesty's  palate. 

During  the  grand  coronation  banquet,  a  noble  cavalier, 
named  Marmion,  rode  into  the  hall  on  horseback,  com- 
pletely armed,  and  shouted  out  three  times :  "  If  anybody 
denies  that  our  most  gracious  sovereign  Lord  William,  and 
his  spouse  Matilda,  are  King  and  Queen  of  England,  he 
is  a  false-hearted  traitor  and  liar,  and  here  I  do  challenge 
him  to  single  combat." 

Nobody  accepted  the  challenge. 

Under  a  glass  case  at  the  Museum  of  Bayeux  is  pre- 
served to  this  very  day,  a  piece  of  canvas,  nineteen  inches 
broad  and  sixty-seven  yards  long,  on  which  Queen  Matilda 
embroidered  the  whole  conquest  of  England  by  her  hus- 
band. There  are  many  hundred  figures  of  men,  horses, 
birds,  beasts,  houses,  trees,  castles,  and  churches,  all  done 


36 


The  Queens  of  England. 


in  their  proper  colors. 


The  designs  were  made  by  a  dwarf 
artist  named  Turold,  who 
seems  to  have  been  far- 
sighted  enough  to  know 
that  the  work  would  be- 
come celebrated,  for  he 
has  curiously  managed  to 
introduce  his  own  figure 
or  name  on  the  canvas 
wherever  it  was  possible. 

After  William   and  his 
wife  were  seated   on   the 
throne,  there  was  a  season 
of  tranquillity.    Then  the 
Conqueror  laid  the  foun- 
S  dation  for  the  great  Tower 
^  of  London,  as  well  as  other 
S  strong  fortresses.     But  re- 
a  volts  began  again,  and  the 
3  Normans    demanded    the 
I  return   of   Matilda.      She 
'Z  resolved  to  gratify  them, 
^  but  in  so  doing  displeased 
the  English,  for  they  knew 
that   during   her  absence 
there  would  be  fewer  cele- 
brations at  court,  and  they 
would  thus  be  deprived  of 
opportunities   for    dispos- 
ing of  their  fine  goods. 

[A.D.  1069.]  All  the 
working  people  were  af- 
fected, more  or  less,  by 
her    departure,    and   ♦Jiey 


1069. 


Matilda  of  Flanders. 


37 


got  into  a  habit  of  gathering  at  each  other's  houses  to  dis- 
cuss their  wrongs  and  grievances.  Fearing  that  they  might 
stimulate  one  another  to  revolt,  William  instituted  the  Cur- 
few, or  the  tolling  of  a  bell,  at  eight  o'clock  every  evening. 
This  was  a  signal  for  all  the  lights  and  fires  to  be  put  out 
in  the  dwellings  ;  the 
word  was  originally 
couvre  feu,  which 
means  extinguishing 
fires. 

Then  William  made 
war  in  the  north  of 
England  and  laid 
waste  the  whole  coun- 
tr}\  In  one  of  the 
battles  a  fair  young 
Saxon,  who  was  en- 
gaged to  one  of  the 
king's  daughters,  was 
killed. 

As  time  went  on, 
Norman  customs  were 
adopted  in  England, 
and       that      dialect, 

which  was  a  mixture  of  French  and  Danish,  became  pop- 
ular.    The  learned  wrote  and  conversed  in  Latin. 

Now,  the  ladies  of  Normandy,  whose  husbands  were 
fighting  William's  battles,  began  to  grow  tired  of  the  long 
separation ;  besides,  certain  bits  of  gossip  that  came  over 
the  water  to  them  aroused  their  jealousy.  So,  many  of 
them  insisted  on  recalling  their  lords  who,  for  the  sake  of 
peace,  were  obliged  to  desert  the  king,  and  obey.  The 
queen  herself  set  a  very  bad  example,  for  growing  jealous 
of  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  priests,  she  actually  had  the 


THE   TOWER. 


38  The  Queens  of  England. 

poor  girl  secretly  put  to  death.  When  William  went  to 
Normandy,  he  beat  her  severely  for  this  shameful  deed. 

Such  treatment  does  not  seem  to  have  surprised  her 
ver}'  much,  though,  for  she  forgave  him  just  as  she  did  for 
a  similar  indignity  before  her  marriage,  and  the  royal 
couple  were  soon  livmg  on  the  most  amicable  terms 
again. 

But  there  was  one  serious  cause  of  disagreement  be- 
tween them.  It  was  the  great  affection  that  the  queen  felt 
for  her  eldest  son  Robert.  She  loved  him  better  than  any 
of  her  other  children,  while  the  third  son,  William  Rufus, 
was  the  king's  favorite. 

Robert  was  a  proud,  self-willed,  quick-tempered  lad,  who 
always  wanted  to  rule,  and  the  position  of  trust  and  im- 
portance that  he  had  filled  in  Normandy  during  his  father's 
absence  had  encouraged  this  disposition.  He  was  spoiled, 
and  showed  an  inclination  to  rebel  when  William  resumed 
the  reins  of  government. 

[A.D.  1076.]  One  day  when  he  was  walking  with  some 
companions  around  the  castle,  his  two  younger  brothers, 
William  Rufus  and  Richard,  with  a  desire  for  boyish  fun, 
threw  some  dirty  water  out  of  the  window  directly  on  his 
head.  Instead  of  receiving  the  joke  good-naturedly,  or 
retaliating  as  any  brother  might  be  expected  to  do,  Robert 
flew  into  a  passion,  and  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand 
rushed  up-stairs,  declaring  that  he  would  kill  the  offenders. 
A  great  tumult  ensued,  and  it  was  only  the  appearance  of 
their  father  who  burst  into  the  room,  flourishing  his  sword, 
and  pronouncing  angry  threats,  that  prevented  fatal  con- 
sequences. 

That  evening  Robert  privately  withdrew  from  court  with 
a  party  of  young  nobles  who  were  attached  to  him.  He 
stood  upon  his  dignity  and  refused  to  bow  to  his  father's 
wUl. 


ROBERT    DISCOVERS   HIS   FATHER. 


1076. 


Matilda  of  Flanders. 


41 


About  this  time  the  Princess  Constance  married,  and 
shortly  after  Princess  Cicely  entered  a  convent. 

Then  the  queen  received  a  severe  blow  in  the  death  of 
her  second  son,  Richard,  a  prince  of  most  amiable  disposi- 
tion and  studious  habits.  But  Robert's  bad  conduct  and 
his  disrespectful  behavior  towards  his  father  gave  her  more 
real  sorrow  than  anything  else  in  the  world. 

After  a  short  absence 
he  sought  the  king's 
presence  and  made  a 
request  that  he  should 
be  appointed  Sover- 
eign of  Normandy,  sa}'- 
ing,  "  It  is  my  right ; 
have  you  not  promised 
to  bestow  it  on  me  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  my  custom 
to  strip  until  I  go  to 
bed,"  replied  the  king, 
adding  some  whole- 
some advice. 

Then  Robert,  be- 
coming impertinent, 
said  he  did  not  come 
to  listen  to  sermons, 
and  angrily  withdrew.  He  immediately  went  to  live  with 
his  uncle,  the  Earl  of  Flanders.  There  he  lived  such  a 
wild,  extravagant  life  that  his  mother  was  frequently  called 
upon  to  supply  him  with  extra  funds.  When  her  private 
purse  was  empty,  she  sold  her  jewels  and  even  her  gar- 
ments to  provide  the  wicked  youth  with  what  he  demanded. 

All  this  was  kept  secret  from  William,  which  was  cer- 
tainly very  wrong.  But  he  found  it  out  at  last,  and  it  need 
scarcely  be  said,  that  he  was  exceedingly  angry.    However, 


TROPHY   OF   NORMAN    AND 
SAXON    ARMS. 


42  The  Queens  of  England. 

he  did  not  beat  his  wife  this  time  ;  perhaps  he  had  heard 
before  of  women  making  sacrifices  for  their  children, 
but  he  was  hurt  at  Matilda's  lack  of  confidence  in  him, 
and  told  her  very  truly,  "  The  woman  who  deceives  her 
husband  is  the  destruction  of  her  own  house,"  She  de- 
fended herself  so  well,  that  he  forgave  her  at  last,  and 
continued  to  love  her  till  the  very  end  of  her  life. 

But  somebody  had  to  be  punished,  and  the  victim  was 
the  agent  who  had  forwarded  the  money  to  Robert,  and 
attended  to  the  selling  of  the  queen's  jewels  and  garments. 
The  poor  man  was  condemned  to  have  his  eyes  put  out. 
Filled  with  terror,  he  ran  to  a  monastery,  where,  within 
twenty-four  hours  he  was  shaven  and  shorn  and  became  a 
professed  monk.     Thus  was  he  protected. 

Robert's  ambition  would  not  let  him  rest,  so  he  prepared 
an  attack  on  England.  There  was  a  furious  battle,  and 
it  so  happened,  that  in  the  midst  of  it  a  hand  to  hand 
encounter  took  place  betweeen  father  and  son.  William 
was  run  through  the  arm  with  his  adversary's  lance  and 
unhorsed.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  that  as  the  warriors  wore 
their  visors  down  they  did  not  recognize  each  other,  for  it 
would  be  horrible  to  think  of  a  father's  being  intentionally 
wounded  by  his  own  flesh  and  blood.  He  cried  out  so 
loudly  that  he  was  known  at  once  ;  then  Robert  raised  him 
tenderly  from  the  ground  and  begged  to  be  forgiven,  while 
he  placed  the  wounded  king  on  his  own  horse  and  led  him 
to  a  place  of  safety. 

It  was  a  long  time  after  the  battle,  in  which  Robert 
came  off  victorious,  before  he  was  blessed  with  his  father's 
forgiveness,  and  this  was  brought  about  by  the  over-fond 
mother.  Her  health  had  suffered  so  much  on  account  of 
the  constant  anxiety  to  which  she  was  subjected,  that 
William  granted  her  request  to  invite  his  erring  son  home. 
But  Robert  was  never  admitted  to  his  father's  confidence. 


1078.  Matilda  of  Flanders.  43 

[A.D.  1078.]  It  was  William  the  Conqueror  who  estab- 
lished the  celebrated  Doomsday  Book  which  contained  a 
survey  of  all  the  lands  throughout  England.  The  object 
of  this  book  was  to  enable  the  sovereign  so  to  regulate 
taxes  as  to  feel  sure  that  he  received  as  much  as  he  dared 
exact  from  each  subject. 

It  was  while  her  husband  was  making  one  of  his  expedi- 
tions to  Normandy  that  Queen  Matilda  heard  of  a  German 
hermit  who  was  renowned  for  his  gift  of  prophecy.  She 
sent  to  consult  him  as  to  what  was  likely  to  be  the  result 
of  the  ill  feeling  existing  between  her  husband  and  Robert. 

The  hermit  required  three  days  for  his  reply,  which  was : 
"  Tell  your  mistress  that  the  Most  High  has  made  known 
to  me  in  a  dream,  what  she  desires  to  hear.  I  saw  in  my 
vision,  a  pasture  covered  with  grass  and  flowers.  A  noble 
charger  was  feeding  thereon,  A  numerous  herd  gathered 
near  eager  to  share  the  feast,  but  the  charger  would  not 
permit  them  to  approach.  But,  alas !  suddenly  he  dropped 
dead,  and  a  poor  silly  steer  appeared  in  his  place.  He 
had  no  power  to  keep  off  the  meaner  animals,  so  they  all 
rushed  into  the  field  and  trampled  down  the  grass  and 
flowers  that  they  failed  to  devour.   This  is  the  explanation  : 

"The  noble  steed  is  William  the  Conqueror,  who  by 
his  wisdom  and  power  keeps  his  surrounding  foes  in  awe. 
The  dull  beast  is  Robert,  who  will  succeed  him.  The  other 
animals  are  the  envious  princes  who  are  waiting  for  an  op- 
portunity to  attack  the  fields  of  Normandy,  and  destroy 
the  land.  If  the  illustrious  lady  do  not  labor  to  restore 
peace,  there  will  be  nothing  but  misery,  ruin,  and  desola- 
tion to  her  beloved  country."  This  message  came  close 
upon  the  death  of  the  Princess  Constance,  and  added  so 
much  to  Matilda's  sorrow  that  her  health  broke  down,  and 
she  died.  She  had  reigned  seventeen  years,  and  was  the 
first  Anglo-NormaL  Queen  of  England 


44 


The  Queens  of  England. 


Matilda's  funeral  was  conducted  with  great  pomp,  and 
the  tomb  that  was  placed  over  her  grave  was  a  mass  of 
sculpture  and  precious  stones. 

The  king  mourned  the  loss  of  his  noble  companion  for 
many  days  ;  he  gave  up  all  his  favorite  sports  and  became 
an  irritable,  melancholy  man.  He  survived  his  wife  only 
four  years. 

Then  Robert  got  possession  of  Normandy,  but  his  at- 
tempt to  place  himself  on  the  throne  of  England  shortly 
afterwards  failed. 

[A.D.  1087.]  William  Rufus,  called  the  Red  King  on 
account  of  the  color  of  his  hair,  succeeded  William  the 
Conqueror,  and  his  brother  Henry  became  king  when  he 
died.  Robert  ended  his  life  in  a  prison,  after  being  shut 
up  in  it  for  twenty-eight  years. 


PLEASURE    BARGE   ON    THE   THAMES. 


CHAPTER   III. 

MATILDA   OF   SCOTLAND,    QUEEN   OF   HENRY  I. 
(A.D.  1077-H18.) 

This  princess  is  called  "The  Good  Queen,"  a  title  that 
shows  how  dear  she  must  have  been  to  her  subjects,  and 
how  much  she  must  have  done  to  promote  their  happiness. 
She  is  the  only  princess  of  Scotland  who  ever  shared  the 
throne  of  an  English  king. 

Her  aunt,  Christina  Atheling,  was  Abbess  of  Rumsey, 
and  did  all  she  could  to  influence  Matilda  to  take  the  veil 
and  enter  a  convent.  But  this  was  very  displeasing  to  her 
father,  the  King  of  Scotland,  and  one  day  when  she  en 
tered  his  presence  with  a  nun's  veil  fastened  to  her  head, 
he  indignantly  tore  it  to  pieces,  saying  that  he  intended 
her  to  become  a  wife  some  day,  not  a  nun.  This  circum- 
stance made  such  an  impression  on  her  youthful  mind,  that 
she  never  forgot  it. 

When  the  king  made  this  remark,  there  was  a  young 
man  present  whose  name  was  Alan,  Duke  of  Bretagne. 
He  was  the  widower  of  Constance,  William  the  Con- 
queror's daughter,  consequently  much  too  old  for  Matilda ; 
nevertheless,  he  made  up  his  mind  on  the  spot  that  he 
would  make  her  his  wife  if  he  could  get  her  consent. 

But  now  we  must  tell  something  about  the  illustrious 
mother  of  this  princess,  to  whom  she  was  indebted  for  her 
earliest  lessons  in  piety  and  virtue. 

Her  name  was  Margaret,  and  her  parents  were  Edward 
Atheling,  sumamed  the  Outlaw,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry 
n.  of  Germany. 

45 


46  The  Queens  of  England. 

[A.D.  1068.]  When  she  was  a  young  lady,  her  family 
determined  to  leave  England  and  take  up  their  residence 
in  Hungary,  but  the  ship  on  which  they  embarked  became 
disabled,  and  was  driven  by  a  storm  into  the  Frith  of  Forth. 
Malcolm  Canmore,  who  was  King  of  Scotland,  chanced  to 
be  present  when  they  arrived,  and  so  struck  was  he  with 
the  extreme  beauty  of  the  Lady  Margaret,  that  a  few  days 
later  he  demanded  her  hand  in  marriage.  This  offer 
pleased  her  brother  Edgar  Atheling  very  much,  because, 
not  only  was  it  a  fine  thing  to  have  his  sister  in  such  a 
lofty  position,  but  Malcolm  had  received  them  all  so  kindly 
and  hospitably  that  he  had  made  an  excellent  impression , 
so  Edgar  joyfully  gave  his  consent. 

The  spot  where  Margaret  first  set  foot  on  Scottish  soil  is 
to  this  day  called  Queen's  Ferry  in  memory  of  the  circum- 
stance. 

Now,  Malcolm  could  neither  read  nor  write,  and  be  was 
so  rough  and  wild,  that  many  of  her  Saxon  friends  objected 
to  so  pure  and  intellectual  a  girl  as  Margaret  uniting  her- 
self to  him.  She  loved  him,  however,  and  immediately 
after  her  marriage  she  set  to  work  to  reform  her  household 
as  well  as  she  could,  and  to  introduce  religious  ceremonies, 
which  were  sadly  wanting. 

Her  husband  felt  her  superiority,  and  had  so  much  confi- 
dence in  her  judgment  that  he  left  the  entire  control  of  the 
royal  household  in  her  hands.  He  entertained  such  re- 
spect and  admiration  for  her  virtues  as  well  as  her  mental 
qualities,  that  her  influence  over  him  was  excellent. 

All  persons  who  were  leading  bad,  immoral  lives  were 
dismissed  from  the  court,  and  no  one  was  allowed  to  hold 
an  office  of  any  kind  who  failed  in  honesty  or  sobriety. 

Although  grace  was  said  daily  after  each  meal,  by  Turgot, 
the  court  chaplain,  the  Scotch  nobles  were  in  the  habit 
of  leaving  the  table  as  soon  as  they  had   satisfied   their 


MATILDA   OF   SCOTLAND. 


io68.  Matilda  of  Scotland.  49 

stomachs,  without  waiting  for  the  grace.  This  displeased 
Margaret,  and  she  began  to  consider  what  she  could  do  to 
keep  them  in  their  seats  without  commanding  them  to  stay. 
At  last  her  woman's  ingenuity  fixed  upon  this  arrangement. 
She  ordered  a  cup  of  the  very  choicest  wine  in  the  royal 
cellar  to  be  served  to  each  man  after  grace,  and  by  degrees 
she  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  not  a  single  vacant  chair 
at  table  so  long  as  Turgot  remained.  In  time  the  "  grace 
cup  "  became  an  established  custom  not  only  at  court,  but 
in  the  castles  of  the  nobility,  and  the  dwellings  of  the  hum- 
bler classes  throughout  the  land. 

Margaret  was  also  a  devoted  mother,  and  bestowed  a 
great  deal  of  care  upon  the  education  of  her  seven  chil- 
dren. The  learned  Turgot  was  their  preceptor  and  con- 
fessor, and  when  the  queen  was  dying  she  said  to  him : 
"  Farewell !  my  life  is  drawing  to  a  close  ;  to  you  I  commit 
the  care  of  my  children ;  teach  them  above  all  things  to 
love  and  fear  God." 

Her  husband  had  been  killed  by  treachery  a  short  time 
previously,  so  the  five  princes  and  two  princesses  were  left 
orphans. 

Their  uncle  Edgar  was  very  kind  to  them  all,  and  placed 
the  girls,  Matilda  and  Mary,  at  the  convent,  with  their 
aunt  Christina,  where  he  knew  that  they  would  have 
a  better  training  and  education  than  he  could  possibly 
bestow  on  them.  There  they  remained  for  a  long  time, 
and  were  carefully  instructed  in  the  art  of  reading  as  well 
as  in  good  manners. 

Christina  always  hoped  that  they  would  both  become 
nuns,  and  considering  that  they  were  entirely  under  her 
influence,  with  no  parents,  their  brothers  at  a  distance,  and 
no  home  but  the  convent,  it  seems  strange  that  they  did 
not.     But  they  were  reserved  for  another  fate. 

In  those  rude  times  the  Norman  nobles  were  so  rough 


50  The  Queens  of  England. 

and  uncultivated  that  they  had  no  respect  for  any  woman 
excepting  those  consecrated  to  religion,  consequently  it 
was  a  common  custom  for  young  girls  to  dress  in  nun's 
attire  for  protection. 

But  Christina  made  her  nieces  wear  the  great,  thick, 
heavy,  black  veil  because  it  was  all  settled  in  her  mind  that 
it  was  to  be  forever,  and  whenever  she  saw  Matilda  without 
hers,  she  scolded  her  and  treated  her  very  harshly.  Poor 
Matilda  found  it  so  uncomfortable,  and  no  doubt  unbe- 
coming too,  that  she  wept  many  a  bitter  tear  over  the 
infliction,  and  the  moment  she  was  out  of  her  stern  aunt's 
sight,  she  would  fling  the  veil  on  the  ground  and  stamp 
upon  it.  During  the  seven  long  years  that  she  spent  in  the 
dreary  convent,  she  must,  many  a  time,  have  wished  for 
her  dear  father  to  relieve  her,  as  he  once  did. 

Matilda  was  passionately  fond  of  music  and  devoted 
much  time  and  attention  to  this  art.  When  she  became 
Queen  of  England  she  was  exceedingly  liberal  in  her  re- 
wards to  those  monks  who  sang  the  church  service  well, 
and  did  everything  in  her  power  to  encourage  them. 

While  at  the  convent,  this  princess  received  two  offers  of 
marriage.  The  first  was  from  the  Alan,  to  whom  we  referred 
at  the  beginning  of  this  biography.  But  fortunately  for 
her  he  died  before  she  was  called  upon  to  give  an  answer, 
for  she  positively  asserted  that  she  would  rather  wear  the 
odious  veil  forever  than  wed  him.  The  other  offer  was 
from  the  young  and  handsome  William  Warren,  Earl  of 
Surrey.  But  him  she  did  not  love,  and  although  he  was  one 
of  the  richest  and  most  powerful  of  the  baronets  of  Eng- 
land or  Normandy,  she  refused  him.  She  was  somewhat 
sly  on  this  occasion,  for  she  pleaded  her  devotion  to  a 
religious  life  as  excuse,  though  the  real  one  was  the  affec- 
tion she  entertained  for  Henry,  fourth  son  of  William  the 
Conqueror. 


Q'JEEN    MARGARET'S   CHAPEL  IN    EDINBURGH   CASTLE. 


Matilda  of  Scotland. 


S3 


She  was  then  at  Wilton  Abbey,  near  Winchester,  the 
favorite  home  of  the  Norman  king.  Edgar  Atheling,  who 
was  very  fond  of  his  niece,  went  frequently  to  see  her,  and 
Henry  sometimes  accompanied  him.  On  such  occasions 
it  is  probable  that  Matilda  managed  to  leave  off  her  veil, 
for  she  was  too  pretty  not  to  be  somewhat  vain,  and  Henry 
was  too  young  and  ardent  not  to  have  his 
heart  touched  by  her  charms. 

This  prince  was  surnamed  Beauclerc 
because  he  was  such  a  good  student,  and 
Matilda  was  so  well,  educated  herself  that 
she  could  appreciate  his  intellect  and  ac- 
complishments. Therefore  she  preferred 
him  to  Warren,  and  no  doubt  by  a  whis- 
pered word,  or  a  sly  glance,  succeeded  in 
letting  him  know  it. 

Of  all  William  the  Conqueror's  sons, 
Henry  was  most  in  favor  among  the 
English,  owing  to  his  having  been  born 
on  their  soil ;  nevertheless  it  was  a  long 
time  before  he  became  king. 

When  on  his  deathbed,  his  father  called  Henry  to  him 
and  made  the  following  prophecy :  "  Thy  elder  brothers 
may  go  before  thee.  Robert  shall  have  Normandy,  and 
William  shall  have  England,  but  thou  shalt  be  inheritor  of 
all  my  honors,  and  shalt  excel  both  thy  brethren  in  riches 
and  power." 

This  dying  prophecy  was  not  fulfilled  until  he  was  thirty- 
two  years  old,  when  Wat  Tyrrel's  arrow  placed  him  on  the 
throne.  It  happened  in  this  way  :  William  Rufus,  with  his 
brother  Henry  and  a  large  party  of  attendants,  were  hunt- 
ing one  day,  when  Henry,  by  some  mistake,  was  separated 
from  the  others  and  found  himself  quite  alone  in  an  ad- 
joining  forest.      Suddenly,   the   string   of   his   cross-bow 


THE   BEACON. 


54  The  Queens  of  England. 

snapped,  and  he  entered  the  hut  of  the  nearest  forester  to 
have  it  mended. 

A  shrivelled-up  old  woman,  who  sat  on  the  hearth-stone 
and  looked  like  one  of  the  witches  in  Macbeth,  saluted  him 
as  king.  He  was  very  much  surprised  at  this,  and  began  to 
assure  her  that  she  had  made  a  mistake.  Without  heeding 
his  reply,  she  continued  in  a  cracked  voice,  holding  up  her 
long,  bony  forefinger  in  token  of  warning,  — 

"  Hasty  news  to  thee  I  bring, 
Henry,  thou  art  now  a  king ; 
Mark  the  words  and  heed  them  well, 
Which  to  thee  in  sooth  I  tell, 
And  recall  them  in  the  hour 
Of  thy  regal  state  and  power." 

Henry  was  amazed,  but  had  no  time  to  reply  before  the 
Red  King's  attendants  surrounded  the  door  of  the  hut  with 
news  that  their  Sovereign  had  been  shot  and  instantly 
killed.  Wat  Tyrrel's  arrow  had  accidentally  struck  him 
in  the  head,  and  the  unlucky  marksman  had  fled  to  escape 
punishment. 

Prince  Henry  did  not  wait  to  weep  over  the  sad  fate  of 
his  brother,  nor  even  to  see  his  body  properly  cared  for, 
but  jumped  into  the  saddle  and  made  speed  for  Winchester. 
The  cause  of  this  haste  was  that  the  royal  treasurer,  who 
happened  to  be  present  at  the  chase,  declared  emphatically 
that  the  crown  now  belonged  to  Robert,  and  started  on  a 
race  with  Henry  to  announce  it  at  the  Norman  palace. 
But  Robert  was  in  the  Holy  Land,  so,  with  drawn  sword, 
Henry  forced  the  treasurer  to  give  up  his  keys,  and  at  once 
took  possession  of  the  royal  robes,  jewels,  and  regalia.  This 
high-handed  action  caused  dissatisfaction  among  those 
nobles  who  owned  lands  in  Normandy,  for  they  were  de- 
sirous that  their  duke  should  succeed ;  so  it  was  resolved 
to  settle  the  question  in  the  council  chamber.     All  the 


DEATH   OF  THE   REU   KING. 


iioo.  Matilda  of  Scotland.  57 

nobles  and  prelates  assembled,  and  while  they  were  de- 
bating the  matter,  Henry  gathered  a  crowd  about  him  in 
,  the  street,  and  eloquently  pleaded  his  own  cause.  First 
he  reminded  them  that  he  was  a  born  Englishman,  then 
he  made  the  most  flattering  promises,  and  concluded  his 
speech  by  assuring  them  that  they  should  have  an  English 
*  queen,  and  be  governed  by  English  laws.  Loud  shouts 
and  hurrahs  greeted  his  ears,  and  "  Long  live  Henry,  King 
of  England ! "  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  until  it  was 
taken  up  in  the  council  hall  itself,  and  thus,  by^the  voice  of 
the  people  was  the  succession  settled. 

On  the  day  after  this  scene  Henry  was  crowned  at  West- 
minster Abbey.  The  promises  he  made  he  fully  intended 
to  execute,  and  set  about  his  work  of  reform  without  delay. 
His  popularity  increased,  and  when  he  made  known  his 
intention  to  marry  Matilda,  a  descendant  of  their  beloved 
King  Alfred,  and  a  girl  educated  in  England,  it  met  with 
great  favor. 

He  then  made  a  formal  proposal  for  her  to  her  brother, 
the  King  of  Scotland.  But  the  Abbess  Christina  was 
determined  not  to  give  her  up  without  a  struggle ,  more- 
over, she  was  a  Saxon,  and  objected  to  having  the  Norman 
line  strengthened  by  such  a  union  •,  so  she  declared  that 
Matilda  was  a  consecrated  nun,  whom  it  would  be  a  sacri- 
lege to  marry. 

Henry  did  not  dare  to  act  in  defiance  of  the  church, 
though  he  had  resolved  on  this  marriage,  so  he  wrote  to 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  asking  advice.  That  prel- 
ate refused  to  decide  so  important  a  question  alone,  but 
summoned  a  council  of  churchmen,  before  whom  Matilda 
was  requested  to  appear. 

This  must  have  been  a  most  embarrassing  ordeal  for  a 
young  girl  brought  up  in  the  strict  seclusion  of  a  convent, 
but  she  was  equal  to  it,  and  answered  all  the  questions 


58      -  The  Queens  of  England. 

put  to  her  clearly  and  intelligibly.  They  asked  her  whether 
she  had  taken  any  vows,  saying  that  if  so,  no  motive  could 
induce  them  to  consent  to  their  being  broken.  The  prin- 
cess denied  that  she  had  ever  done  so.  The  archbishop 
asked  her  if  she  had  not  worn  the  black  veil  at  her  father's 
court,  and  subsequently  in  the  nunneries  of  Rumsey  and 
Wilton. 

"  I  do  not  deny,"  she  replied,  "  having  worn  the  veil  in 
my  father's  court  •,  for  when  I  was  a  child  my  aunt  Christina 
put  a  piece  of  black  cloth  over  my  head ;  but  when  my 
father  saw  it,  he  snatched  it  off  in  great  rage,  and  swore 
at  the  person  who  had  put  it  on  me,  observing  at  the  same 
time  that  it  was  his  intention  to  give  me  in  marriage,  not  to 
devote  me  to  the  church." 

Then  she  told  how  she  had  worn  the  veil  for  protection 
at  first,  and  afterwards,  because  her  aunt  would  beat  and 
scold  her  whenever  she  left  it  off. 

This  explanation  was  considered  perfectly  satisfactory, 
and  the  council  pronounced  Matilda  free  to  contract  mar- 
riage with  the  king. 

Now,  although  she  loved  Henry,  and  certainly  had  no 
desire  to  remain  longer  in  the  convent,  yet  she  hesitated 
about  getting  married  because  she  had  heard  the  king 
was  not  so  good  and  virtuous  as  he  ought  to  be,  and  she 
feared  to  trust  her  happiness  in  his  keeping.  But  those 
connected  with  the  Saxon  royal  line  entreated  her  with 
these  words  :  "  O  most  noble  and  most  gracious  of  women, 
if  thou  wouldst,  thou  couldst  raise  up  the  ancient  honor  of 
England ,  thou  wouldst  be  a  pledge  of  reconciliation  ;  but 
if  thou  refusest,  the  enmity  between  the  Saxon  and  Nor- 
man races  will  be  eternal ;  human  blood  will  never  cease 
to  flow," 

This  was  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of  her  marriage. 
She  was  to  become  a  bond  of  peace  to  a  divided  nation, 


"oo.  Matilda  of  Scotland.  6i 

and  she  ceased  to  object  when  Henry  promised  to  be  a 
constitutional  monarch,  and  observe  the  laws  and  privileges 
established  by  Alfred. 

Three  years  and  six  months  after  his  coronation  Henry 
and  Matilda  were  married,  and  the  latter  was  crowned  at 
Westminster.  Before  performing  the  ceremony,  the  arch- 
bishop stood  up  in  the  pulpit,  and  related  the  whole  history 
of  the  princess's  life,  because  he  wanted  to  leave  no  room 
for  doubt  that  she  was  justified  in  getting  married.  He 
then  asked  in  a  loud  tone  whether  anybody  present  had 
an  objection  to  raise.  All  declared  that  the  matter  was 
rightly  settled. 

This  marriage  proved  one  of  the  happiest  events  for  the 
English  nation,  for  the  queen's  thoughts  were  always  for 
the  common  people,  and  she  urged  her  husband  to  grant 
them  all  their  rights  and  privileges.  One  of  his  first  acts 
was  to  abolish  the  curfew  at  her  request,  for  she  said  that 
everj'body  ought  to  be  permitted  to  sit  up  and  enjoy  an 
evening  chat  just  as  long  as  they  pleased. 

Henry's  Anglo-Saxon  subjects  soon  became  so  warmly 
attached  to  him,  that  they  were  anxious  to  show  him  an 
allegiance  which  the  stern  laws  of  his  father,  or  of  the  Red 
King,  never  could  have  forced  from  them.  They  loved 
the  queen  also,  because  they  knew  that  a  great  deal  of 
their  happiness  was  the  result  of  her  good  influence. 


PI.AVING    AT    BOWLS. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

The  royal  couple  lived  at  Westminster,  in  the  palace  of 
Edward  the  Confessor,  and  Matilda  devoted  much  of  her 
time  to  the  care  of  the  sick  and  the  needy.  She  was  so 
strict  concerning  her  religious  duties,  that  every  day  in 
Lent  she  went  to  Westminster  Abbey  barefooted  and 
clothed  in  a  garment  of  haircloth.  Then  she  would  wash 
and  kiss  the  feet  of  the  poorest  people.  One  day  a  courtier 
reproved  her  for  it,  but  she  replied,  as  the  following  curious 
dialogue,  taken  from  a  rhyming  chronicle  of  the  day,  will 
show,  — 

"  Madam,  for  God's  love  is  this  well  ado 
'  To  handle  such  unclean  limbs  and  to  kiss  so  ? 

Foul  would  the  king  think  if  this  thing  he  wist, 
And  right  well  avile  him  ere  he  yom-  lips  kist." 
"  Sir,  sir  !  "  quoth  the  queen,  "be  still.     WTiy  say  you  so? 
Our  Lord  himself  example  gave  for  to  do  so." 

On  another  occasion,  her  brother,  the  King  of  Scotland, 
who  was  on  a  visit  to  the  English  court,  entered  Matilda's 
apartments,  and  found  her  on  her  knees  washing  the  feet 
of  some  old  beggars.  She  looked  up,  and  asked  him  if 
he  would  not  assist  her  in  this  work  of  charity  and  humili- 
ation, for  the  good  of  his  soul.  His  majesty  smiled  and 
left  the  room  without  making  any  reply.  Perhaps  as  he 
had  never  had  any  practice  in  that  sort  of  labor  he  feared 
that  he  might  not  be  able  to  perform  it  skilfully,  or  it  may 
be  that  he  did  not  care  to  encourage  his  sister  in  the  hu- 
mility which  she  seemed  inclined  to  carry  to  excess.     How- 

62 


iioo.  Matilda  of  Scotland.  63 

ever,  Matilda's  good  works  were  not  all  directed  in  one 
channel,  for  she  tried  to  benefit  every  class  of  her  subjects, 
the  rich  as  well  as  the  poor.  Once  when  she  was  obliged 
to  cross  the  river  Lea  on  horseback,  the  tide  was  so  high 
that  she  ran  great  danger  of  being  drowned,  so  she  caused 
a  fine  arched  bridge  to  be  built  high  up  the  stream.  The 
Saxons  called  it  the  Bow  Bridge.  Then  she  built  more  of 
these  structures,  and  to  insure  their  being  kept  in  good 
repair,  she  presented  a  mill  or  dwelling-house  to  those  whom 
she  selected  to  attend  to  them. 

She  planned  new  roads  and  repaired  old  ones,  thus  facil- 
itating travel  through  the  wild,  uncultivated  parts  of  the 
country,  so  that  in  time  merchants  could  cross  the  desolate 
moors  with  their  wares  without  incurring  much  risk. 

All  this  work  was  probably  done  during  her  husband's 
absence  from  home  when  she  was  regent  and  could  call  on 
the  public  treasury,  for  certainly  her  private  purse  could 
never  have  enabled  her  to  undergo  such  a  heavy  outlay. 
But  that  made  no  difference  to  her  subjects,  for  they  en- 
joyed the  benefit  of  her  improvements,  and  looked  upon 
her  as  a  real  benefactress. 

Henry's  wise  laws  did  not  give  universal  satisfaction  by 
any  means ;  for  the  Norman  nobles  objected  to  any  check 
being  placed  on  their  actions.  They  had  been  used  to 
doing  just  exactly  as  they  pleased  with  only  their  sweet 
wills  to  govern  them,  and  now  when  they  found  that  they 
could  not  commit  crimes  and  outrages  against  the  lower 
classes  without  incurring  punishment  of  some  sort  they 
made  great  complaints.  They  could  not  understand  why 
the  laws  that  protected  them  and  their  families  should 
apply  equally  to  the  common  people.  Their  amusements 
were  restrained,  and  their  lawlessness  no  longer  had  free 
play.  So  they  spoke  with  utter  contempt  of  "  that  Saxon 
woman,"  as  they  called  Matilda,  and  actually  went  so  far 


64  The  Queens  of  England. 

as  to  apply  ridiculous  nicknames  to  the  royal  couple,  before 
their  very  faces. 

Just  two  years  had  passed  since  their  marriage,  when 
Duke  Robert  returned  from  the  Holy  Land.  He  deter- 
mined at  once  to  invade  England.  Now,  as  Henry's  fleet 
was  manned  by  Normans,  under  the  influence  of  Norman 
chiefs,  they  refused  to  guard  the  coasts  of  England  against 
their  duke,  but  went  out  to  meet  him,  and  brought  him  in 
triumph  to  Portsmouth,  where  he  was  joined  by  nearly  all 
the  Anglo-Norman  nobles,  as  well  as  a  great  many  of  the 
English  themselves. 

Well,  Robert  marched  straight  on  to  Winchester,  but  with 
all  his  faults,  he  proved  himself  a  true  gentleman  on  this 
occasion ;  for  whSn  he  got  there  he  heard  that  Matilda 
had  a  little  baby  and  was  ill  in  bed,  so  he  refused  to  storm 
the  city. 

This  consideration  on  his  part  pleased  the  queen  so 
much,  that  she  used  her  influence  to  bring  about  a  recon- 
ciliation between  her  husband  and  his  brother,  and  Henry 
invited  Robert  to  court,  where  he  was  feasted  and  enter- 
tained in  a  sumptuous  manner.  The  queen  and  her 
brother-in-law  had  one  taste  in  common  :  they  both  loved 
music.  It  is  only  "a  pity  that  all  Robert's  fancies  were 
not  so  refined  and  harmless. 

Poets  and  minstrels  from  every  part  of  Europe  flocked 
to  Matilda's  court  to  recite  their  verses  or  sing  their  songs 
in  her  presence,  and  she  took  great  pains  to  receive  them 
kindly  and  make  them  welcome.  The  only  objection  that 
could  be  made  to  this  custom,  was  that  it  cost  too  much 
money,  for  the  queen  was  exceedingly  liberal  with  her 
rewards.  Robert  was  so  well  pleased  with  the  treatment 
he  received  at  his  brother's  court,  that  he  prolonged 
his  stay  six  months,  and  he  and  the  queen  passed  a 
great   deal    of   time  in  each   other's  society  singing  and 


1 104. 


Matilda  of  Scotland. 


65 


studying   music ;    and   quite   a   warm   affection   grew  up 
between  them. 

[A.D.  1 104.]  The  following  year  the  Duke  of  Normandy 
visited  England  again,  probably  to  demand  the  payment  of 
his  pension.  As  he 
was  accompanied 
by  only  twelve  gen- 
tlemen it  could 
scarcely  have  been 
his  purpose  to  raise 
a  revolt.  Never- 
theless, when  Hen- 
ry heard  of  his  ar- 
rival he  said,  "  By 
my  faith,  should  he 
fall  into  my  hands, 
I  will  keep  him  so 
closely  imprisoned 
that  he  shall  never 
give  me  any  more 
trouble." 

A  friend  of  Rob- 
ert's heard  this 
remark,  and  has- 
tened to  warn  him 
of  his  danger,  ad- 
vising him  to  seek 
the  queen's  protec- 
tion, which  he  was  very  glad  to  do.  She  spoke  kind 
and  comforting  words,  assuring  him  that  she  would  do 
all  in  her  power  to  save  him  from  the  anger  of  the  king. 
But  Robert  was  so  alarmed  tha*^  he  scarcely  listened  to 
what  she  said.  He  declared  himself  ready  to  make  almost 
any  sacrifice  to  insure  his  personal  safety,  and  even  offered 


NORMAN    FONT. 


66 


The  Queens  of  England. 


to  dispense  with  the  annual  sum  the  king  regularly  allowed 
him  for  resigning  his  claim  to  the  throne. 

When  Henry  heard  this,  he 
sent  for  the  queen  to  come  to 
him  and  bring  Duke  Robert 
with  her.  She  did  so,  and 
the  duke  thus  addressed  his 
brother : 

"  Fair  sire,  I  am  come  to 
see  you  out  of  affection,  and 
not  to  injure  either  you  or 
yours.  We  are  brothers,  born 
of  one  father  and  one  mother. 
If  I  am  the  eldest,  you  have 
the  honor  of  the  crown,  which 
is  a  much  better  thing.  I  love 
you  well,  and  thus  it  ought  to 
be.  I  have  given  over  to  the 
queen  all  you  owe  me  for  this 
kingdom.  We  will  be  friends 
now  and  exchange  gifts  of  jew- 
els, dogs,  and  birds." 

The  king  replied  :  "  We  .will 
do  as  you  say,  with  thanks." 

Now,  one  of  Robert's  vices 
was  intemperance,  which  was 
so  great,  that  he  would  often 
be  in  a  state  of  intoxication 
for  days  together.  So,  not 
long  after  his  friendly  speech, 
when  he  was  under  the  influence  of  wine,  he  accused 
Henry  of  having  cheated  him  out  of  his  pension,  by 
making  Matilda  mislead  him  with  her  fair  words.  Of 
course,  after  that  there  could  be  nothing  but  bitter  and 


AN    EXTERIOR    PULPIT. 


/I04-  Matilda  of  Scotland.  57 

unkind  feelings  between  the  royal  brothers,  and  Robert 
made  so  many  threats,  that  the  king  embarked  for  Nor- 
mandy, determined  to  make  war  on  him. 

But  when  he  got  there,^nselm,  the  old  archbishop, 
effected  a  reconciliation. 

Anselm  then  returned  to  England  and  gave  Matilda 
much  pain,  by  putting  in  force  a  plan  that  he  had  agreed 
upon  with  Henry.  It  was  to  forbid  any  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  clergy  to  marry,  and  to  turn  those  out  cf  the  church 
who  were  already  married.  Two  hundred  of  these  poor 
unfortunates  stood  barefooted  in  the  streets  of  London, 
when  Henry  returned,  begging  for  compassion.  He  turned 
aside,  and  showed  plainly  that  they  were  to  look  for 
neither  aid  nor  sympathy  from  him,  while  the  good  Ma- 
tilda wept  bitterly,  saying  that  "  she  dared  not  interfere." 

At  this  time  the  royal  couple  had  two  children,  a  boy 
named  William,  and  a  little  daughter  who  was  placed  at 
Wilton  Abbey  for  care  and  education. 

The  Anglo-Normans  were  so  much  pleased  with  the 
Saxon  style  of  wearing  their  hair,  which  was  in  long  ring- 
lets flowing  to  their  shoulders,  their  mouths  and  chins 
covered  with  it  too,  that  they  soon  imitated  them.  The 
king  especially  was  remarkable  for  the  beauty  of  his  locks, 
which  he  cherished  with  care,  though  the  Norman  clergy 
highly  disapproved  of  such  vanity. 

One  day,  while  Henry  was  in  Normandy,  he  and  his 
train  entered  a  church,  where  the  bishop  began  to  preach 
about  the  sinfulness  of  this  new  fashion,  saying,  "  It  was  a 
device  of  the  evil  one  to  bring  souls  into  everlasting  per- 
dition, the  moustached,  bearded,  and  long-haired  men 
resembling  filthy  goats."  The  discourse  was  so  touching 
that  the  King  of  England  and  his  courtiers  wept.  Then 
the  bishop  drew  a  large  pair  of  scissors  from  his  sleeve 
and  proceeded  to  crop  off  the  curls  and  beards  of  his 


(58 


The  Queens  of  England, 


hearers,  beginning  with  Henry,  who  was  anxious  to  prove 
the  sincerity  of  his  tears.  Thus  for  nearly  an  hour  the 
church  resembled  a  barber-shop,  and  afterwards  Henry 
published  an  edict  forever  ajjolishing  such  sinful  adorn- 
ments as  ringlets  and  beards. 

After  this  Henry  pursued  the  war  in  Normandy,  com 
pletely  conquered  that  country,  and  returned  in  triumph 
to  England  with  Edgar  Atheling,  Robert,  and  four  hundred 
valiant  knights  as  prisoners. 


ANCIENT    WINDSOR    CASTLE. 


He  then  removed  his  court  to  Windsor  Castle,  which 
had  been  completed  by  Matilda  during  his  absence.  It 
now  became  necessary  for  Henry  to  spend  part  of  every 
year  in  Normandy,  as  he  was  ruler  of  that  country  as  well 
as  of  England. 

In  1 1 09  he  received  an  ambassador  from  the  Emperor 
Henry  V.,  who  came  to  make  a  proposal  for  the  hand  of 
the  little  Princess  Matilda,  then  only  six  years  of  age. 
The  offer  was  accepted,  but  the  child  was  permitted  to 
remain  at  home  until  she  had  reached  the  mature  age  of 
twelve,  when  she  was  married  and  crowned  in  the  cathedral 
of  Mentz.     The  little  empress  was  very  kindly  treated  by 


"19-  Matilda  of  Scotland.  G9 

her  husband,  who  was  forty  years  her  senior ;  and  she  was 
so  amiable  and  pretty,  that  she  won  the  hearts  of  the  Ger- 
man princes,  his  sons. 

When  Prince  William  was  twelve  years  old,  the  king 
took  him  to  Normandy,  and  presented  him,  with  great 
pomp,  as  heir  to  the  duchy.  The  barons  and  freemen  swore 
fealty  to  him. 

The  royal  family  passed  the  following  Christmas  at  the 
Abbey  of  St.  Al ban's  as  guests  of  the  Abbot  Richard,  who 
invited  them,  as  well  as  a  large  company  of  prelates  and 
nobles,  to  assist  at  the  consecration  of  the  abbey.  In  a 
rich  illuminated  volume,  called  the  Golden  Book  of  St. 
Alban's,  (now  in  the  British  Museum,)  is  a  liiceness  of -the 
queen,  evidently  made  at  this  time. 

In  the  year  11 17,  a  fresh  revolt  called  Henry  to  Nor- 
rfiandy  again,  and  during  his  absence  "  the  Good  Queen," 
whose  health  had  been  failing  for  many  months,  died. 
To  the  last  hour  of  her  life  she  was  a  beautiful  example 
of  piety  and  self-denial,  and  her  virtues  had  made  her  so 
dear  to  her  subjects  of  every  class,  that  she  was  passion- 
ately lamented  by  them  all.  She  was  buried  at  Westmin- 
ster Abbey  near  her  royal  uncle,  Edward  the  Confessor. 

After  her  death,  her  three  Saxon  maids  of  honor  retired 
to  a  hermitage  where  there  was  a  holy  well,  or  medicinal 
spring,  and  established  a  convent  there.  They  were  pious 
ladies,  always  ready  to  bestow  alms  and  relieve  the  sick  and 
suffering,  and  passed  the  rest  of  their  lives  in  imitating  the 
charitable,  worthy  deeds  of  their  royal  mistress. 

-Prince  William  never  returned  to  England  after  the 
death  of  his  mother,  but  spent  much  of  his  time  fighting 
against  the  King  of  France,  at  his  father's  side. 

In  1 1 19  he  married  Alice,  daughter  of  the  Eari  of 
Anjou.  A  year  later  he  accompanied  his  father  to  Harfleur 
for  the  purpose  of  embarking  for  England.     The  king  set 


70  The  Queens  of  England. 

sail  the  same  night,  leaving  the  prince  to  follow  in  the 
"White  Ship"  the  finest  vessel  in  the  Norman  navy. 
William  went  on  board  with  a  gay  party  of  young  friends, 
and  ordered  three  casks  of  wine  to  be  given  to  the 
ship's  crew.  This  was  a  mistake,  for  the  sailors  were, 
for  the  most  part,  intoxicated  when  they  sailed.  Prince 
William,  desiring  to  overtake  the  rest  of  the  fleet,  ordered 
his  captain  to  put  up  all  his  sails,  and  the  "  White  Ship  " 
went  rushing  through  the  water  with  such  dangerous  speed, 
that  she  suddenly  struck  a  rock  and  began  to  sink.  All 
was  terror  and  confusion.  The  life-boat  was  launched,  and 
the  young  heir  of  England,  with  several  of  his  compan- 
ions, got  intent,  and  would  probably  have  been  able  to  row 
back  to  the  Norman  shore  in  safety ;  but  the  cries  of  his 
half-sister  calling  on  him  for  assistance  reached  his  ear. 
He  commanded  the  boat  back,  and  as  soon  as  it  neared 
the  ship,  such  numbers  sprang  into  it  that  it  immediately 
sank.  Out  of  three  hundred  persons  who  embarked  on 
the  ill-fated  vessel  only  one  escaped  to  tell  the  sad  tale. 
This  was  a  poor  butcher,  who  climbed  to  the  top  of  the 
mast,  and  was  rescued  next  morning  by  some  fishermen. 

The  report  of  the  disaster  reached  England  next  day, 
but  there  was  nobody  bold  enough  to  carry  it  to  the  king, 
so  for  three  days  he  was  left  in  suspense. 

At  length  his  private  little  page  was  selected  to  break 
the  news  to  the  bereaved  father.  Entering  the  room  with 
pattering  steps  and  a  sorrowful  mien,  the  child  knelt  down 
at  Henrj^'s  feet  and  told  him  of  the  dreadful  catastrophe. 
He  sank  upon  the  floor  in  a  swoon,  from  which  he  did  not 
recover  for  many  minutes.  In  all  his  life  Henry  I.  was 
never  known  to  smile  again. 

[A.D.  1 1 20.]  Three  years  after  the  death  of  Queen  Ma- 
tilda he  "married  Adelicia  of  Louvaine,  sumamed  the  Fair 
Maid  of  Brabant,  a  lady  of  distinguished  beauty  and  rare 


Matilda  of  Scotland. 


n 


talent,  ^he  occupied  the  English  throne  too  short  a  time 
for  us  to  devote  a  separate  chapter  to  her  reign.  She  was 
a  good,  kind  stepmother  to  the  little  Empress  Matilda, 
and  took  excellent  care  of  her.  But  she  could  not  have 
been  very  happy  as  the  wife  of  Henry  I.,  because  his 
troubles  made  him  such  a  cross,  melancholy  old  man  that 
even  his  greatest  nobles  were  afraid  to  approach  him.  He 
died  in  Normandy  in  1135,  and  three  years  later  Adelicia 
married  William  de  Albini. 

She  had  seven  children  after  her  second  marriage,  from 
one  of  whom  by  lineal  descent  were  two  of  the  most  un-. 
fortunate  of  all  the  queens  of  England,  —  Anna  Boleyn 
and  Katherine  Howard. 


NORMAN   TOWER. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MATILDA   OF   BOULOGNE,   QUEEN   OF   STEPHEN 
(A.D.  1106-1151). 

Matilda  of  Boulogne  was  the  last  of  the  Anglo-Norman 
queens,  and  the  only  child  of  the  Count  and  Countess  of 
Boulogne.  She  was  educated  at  the  Convent  of  Bermond- 
sey,  which  was  founded  by  her  mother,  but  it  was  never 
intended  that  she  should  spend  her  life  there,  because,  at  a 
very  early  age,  she  was  married  to  Stephen  de  Blois,  a 
nephew  of  Henry  I. 

Stephen  was  a  handsome,  bright,  intellectual  boy  when 
he  went  to  seek  his  fortune  at  the  court  of  England,  and 
Henry  Beauclerc  was  pleased  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
showing  kindness  to  the  son  of  his  sister  Adela,  Countess 
of  Bl^s,  whom  he  had  always  loved  very  tenderly. 

So  he  knighted  the  youth,  and  bestowed  upon  him  the 
hand  of  his  queen's  niece  Matilda,  the  heiress  of  Boulogne. 
After  the  marriage,  the  king  presented  the  young  couple 
with  the  Tower-Royal,  a  strongly  fortified  palace,  which 
became  their  London  residence. 

Stephen  had  embarked  on  board  the  ill-fated  Blanche 
Nef,  or  White  Ship,  with  his  cousin  William,  but  prudently 
left  just  before  the  vessel  sailed,  saying:  "She  was  too 
much  crowded  with  foolish,  headstrong  young  people." 

After  the  death  of  his  son  William,  the  king  placed  his 
affections  on  his  nephew,  and  always  liked  his  companion- 
ship in  all  his  voyages.  Stephen  was  a  great  favorite  in 
74 


iio6. 


Matilda  of  Boulogne. 


n 


England,  for  he  was  as  affable  and  agreeable  to  the  poorest 
and  humblest  people  as  he  was  lo  the  nobles.  His  wife, 
too,  was  daily  winning  hearts,  and  when  the  king's  health 
began  to  decline,  it  was  fondly  hoped  that  this  young  couple 
would  succeed  him  instead  of  his  daughter,  the  Empress 
Matilda,    And  so  they  did,  for  no  sooner  was  King  Henry's 


ENTRANCE  TO  NORMAN  CHAPEL. 


death  announced  than  Stephen  left  Normandy,  and  em- 
barked for  Dover,  leaving  the  last  rites  of  his  deceased 
uncle  to  the  care  of  Robert,  Earl  of  Gloucester. 

He  hastened  on  to  London  in  the  midst  of  a  terrible 
thunder-storm,  and  convened  an  assembly  of  barons,  before 
whom  the  steward  of  King  Henr\''s  household  swore  that 
the  late  sovereign  had  disinherited  the  Empress  Matilda 


y(>  The  Queens  of  England. 

on  his  deathbed,  and  named  Stephen  as  his  heir.  There- 
upon the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  absolved  the  nobles 
from  the  oath  of  fealty  they  had  twice  sworn  to  the  daughter 
of  their  dead  king,  and  Stephen  was  crowned  without 
opposition. 

This  was  easily  managed,  because  the  Empress  Matilda, 
being  the  wife  of  a  foreign  prince,  was  residing  on  the 
continent,  and  therefore  out  of  the  wiy.  Besides,  at  the 
time  of  her  father's  death,  her  husband  was  dangerously 
ill,  and  she  had  no  thought  for  anything  but  the  care  he 
required.  When  he  recovered  she  determined  to  remain 
quiet  for  awhile  to  watch  the  condition  of  affairs  in  England. 

[A.D.  1 136.]  Meanwhile  Queen  Matilda  had  given  birth 
to  a  son,  who  was  named  Eustace,  and  three  months  after 
her  husband  had  claimed  the  crown,  her  own  coronation 
took  place  on  Easter  Sunday,  1136. 

Stephen  began  his  reign  by  making  some  wise  and  pop- 
ular laws,  but  he  permitted  his  nobles  to  build  or  fortify 
over  a  thousand  castles.  This  was  a  grave  mistake,  because 
the  owners  of  these  strongholds  could  shut  themselves  up 
in  them  and  defy  the  crown  when  they  chose. 

The  first  sad  experience  Stephen  had  in  this  respect  was 
when  the  Earl  of  Devonshire  refused  to  obey  him,  or  to 
acknowledge  his  right  as  king.  Stephen  proceeded  to 
chastise  him,  when  the  King  of  Scotland,  taking  advantage 
of  this  disturbance,  invaded  the  northern  counties  under 
pretence  of  revenging  the  wrongs  of  his  niece,  the  Empress 
Matilda,  though  Queen  Matilda  stood  in  the  same  degree 
of  relationship  to  him  as  the  empress  did. 

Stephen  met  the  King  of  Scotland  with  a  large  army, 
but  Queen  Matilda  interposed  between  the  two  sovereigns, 
and  settled  all  differences  without  any  bloodshed. 

[A.D.  1137.]  This  happy  termination  of  the  storm  that 
had  been  gathering  was  celebrated  by  a  series  of  rejoicings, 


1 137-  Matilda  of  Boulogne.  yj 

but  in  the  midst  of  them  Stephen  was  seized  with  an  illness 
so  serious  that  it  resulted  in  a  stupor  closely  resembling 
death.  It  was  reported  in  Normandy  that  he  really  had 
died. 

Thereupon  the  party  of  the  Empress  Matilda  imme- 
diately began  to  take  measures  to  place  her  on  the  throne, 
her  husband,  the  Count  of  Anjou,  entering  Normandy  at 
the  head  of  an  army  to  assert  her  right.  Then  Stephen's 
elder  brother,  Theobold,  put  in  his  claim.  Meanwhile 
Stephen  recovered,  and  no  sooner  did  he  see  the  danger 
that  threatened  him,  than,  leaving  his  wife  to  look  out  for 
his  interests  in  England,  he  hastened  with  his  little  son  to 
France,  and  by  means  of  a  large  bribe  induced  King  Louis 
VII.  to  acknowledge  the  child's  claim  to  the  earldom  of 
Boulogne,  which  Queen  Matilda  had  bestowed  on  the 
child. 

During  King  Stephen's  absence  some  enormous  fires 
occurred  in  different  parts  of  England  which  seemed  to  be 
the  work  of  discontented  subjects ;  conspiracies  were  formed 
in  favor  of  the  Empress  Matilda,  and,  what  was  worst  of 
all,  the  King  of  Scotland  made  another  invasion  into 
Northumberland.  But  Queen  Matilda  showed  herself  a 
woman  of  courage  and  determination,  for  she  actually  went 
in  person  to  fight  the  insurgents,  and  kept  them  at  bay 
until  her  husband  arrived  and  drove  the  Scottish  army 
back  into  their  own  country. 

The  party  that  favored  the  empress  had  become  so 
powerful  by  the  autumn  of  1140  that,  had  she  acted 
promptly,  she  would  certainly  have  gained  the  prize  she 
sought.  But  she  did  not  enter  England  until  Stephen  had 
taken  possession  of  the  castles  as  well  as  of  the  great  wealth 
of  three  bishops  who  had  opposed  him. 

Consequently,  when  she  took  up  her  abode  at  Arundel 
Castle,  Stephen  might  perfectly  well  have  made  her  his 


78 


The  Queens  of  England. 


prisoner ;  but  he  remembered  what  a  debt  of  gratitude  h< 
owed  to  her  father,  and  spared  her  for  the  sake  of  his 
benefactor.  When  she  expressed  her  desire  to  remove  tc 
the  Castle  of  Bristol,  he  was  even  so  gallant  as  to  offei 


his  brother,  the  Bishop  of  Winchester,  as  escort,  and 
to  pledge  his  word  that  she  should  not  be  molested  by 
the  way. 

The  Earl  of  Gloucester  was  still  fighting  for  his  sister's 
rights  when  Queen  Matilda  went,  with  her  son  Eustace,  to 
France  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  her  husband's 
cause  by  the  aid  of  her  foreign  relations.     While  there,  a 


"41-  Matilda  of  Boulogne.  7^ 

marriage  was  negotiated  between  Constance,  sister  of  Louis 
I.,  and  little  Eustace,  who  was  just  four  years  old. 

Matilda  was  still  in  France  when  the  battle  of  Lincoln, 
so  disastrous  to  Stephen's  cause,  was  fought. 

It  happened  that  Stephen  had  shut  up  a  number  of  the 
Empress  Matilda's  partisans  and  their  families  when  he 
besieged  the  town  of  Lincoln  ;  among  these  was  the  Earl  of 
Gloucester's  youngest  daughter,  who  had  recently  married 
her  cousin,  the  Earl  of  Chester.     So  determined  were  the 


father  and  husband  to  liberate  her,  that,  with  all  their 
followers,  they  swam  across  the  river  Trent,  behind  which 
Stephen  and  his  army  thought  themselves  safely  encamped, 
and  fiercely  attacked  him  in  their  dripping  garments. 

Stephen  fought  desperately,  until  he  was  left  almost 
alone  on  the  field,  when  a  stout  knight  seized  him  and  led 
him  captive  before  the  Empress  Matilda,  who  ordered  him 
into  close  confinement  in  Bristol  Castle. 

Then  the  Empress  Matilda  made  her  public  entry  into 
the  city  of  Winchester,  where  she  was  received  in  state -by 
Stephen's  brother,  the  bishop  of  that  place,  who  excom- 
municated all  those  who  adhered  to  the  imprisoned  king, 


8o 


The  Queens  of  England. 


and  promised  absolution  to  all  those  who  joined  the  cause 
of  the  empress. 

At  this  melancholy  juncture  Queen  Matilda  returned 
from  France.  She  at  once  made  a  personal  appeal  to  the 
citizens  of  London,  with  whom  she  had  always  been  pop- 
ular, and  so  readily  did  they  listen  to  her  complaint  that 
they  demanded  the  liberation  of  the  king.  But  her  brother- 
in-law,  Henry  de  Blois,  the  Bishop  of  Winchester,  paid  no 
attention  to  the  demand ;  he  even  refused  to  have  Queen 
Matilda's  address  to  the  Synod  in  behalf  of  her  husband 


A  scold's  bridle. 


read   aloud,   and  boldly  declared  the   Empress   Matilda 
sovereign  of  England. 

Then  Queen  Matilda  made  a  pathetic  appeal  to  this 
haughty,  arrogant  woman  in  behalf  of  Stephen,  who  re- 
mained, heavily  ironed,  in  prison.  She  assured  the  empress 
that  the  loss  of  power  was  of  little  moment ;  all  she  asked 
was  that  Her  husband  might  be  set  at  liberty.  She  even 
proposed  that  if  her  life  were  spared,  and  her  son  were 
permitted  to  enjoy  the  Earldom  of  Boulogne,  she  would 
enter  a  convent,  her  husband  a  monastery,  and  promised 
that  both  would  forever  forego  all  claim  to  the  crown  of 
England. 


114I*  Matilda  of  Boulogne.  S3 

This  petition,  as  well  as  all  the  others  that  King  Stephen's 
wife  had  made  to  the  cruel  empress,  was  rejected  with  con- 
tempt. But  the  devoted  wife  was  not  to  be  baffled  when 
working  for  her  husband's  life  and  pardon,  so  taking 
advantage.of  a  misunderstanding  that  arose  between  the 
Bishop  of  Winchester  and  the  empress,  she  induced  that 
prelate  to  absolve  all  those  of  her  husband's  party  whom 
he  had  previously  excommunicated,  and  to  aid  her  in  the 
deliverance  of  his  brother. 

Then,  in  the  name  of  her  son,  Prince  Eustace,  she  raised 
the  standard  of  the  captive  king  in  Kent  and  Surrey,  and 
a  strong  army  was  soon  organized  in  her  support. 

Meanwhile  the  empress  had  become  exceeding  unpopu- 
lar, and  when  the  citizens  of  London  found  that  she 
proposed  to  treat  them  as  a  conquered  nation,  which  her 
demand  for  a  subsidy  proved,  they  asked  leave  to 
deliberate. 

The  empress  retired  to  her  palace  of  Westminster,  wher? 
she  awaited  the  arrival  of  a  deputy  with  the  bags  of  gold 
she  felt  sure  they  would  send.  Suddenly  the  bells  of 
London  rang  out  an  alarm,  and  every  man  in  the  city  and 
its  vicinity  came  out  of  his  house  carrying  a  sword.  A 
formidable  army  soon  collected,  ready  to  dispute  any 
unjust  demand  for  subsidies,  and  proceeded  to  the  palace. 

But  the  empress,  with  her  barons  and  chevaliers,  had 
made  good  their  escape  on  horseback,  and  were  far  on  the 
road  to  Oxford  when  the  mob  broke  open  the  doors  of  the 
palace. 

The  King  of  Scotland  was  with  his  niece,  but  he  was  so 
disgusted  with  her  behavior  that  he  made  the  best  of  his 
way  to  his  own  borders.  By  the  time  the  empress  reached 
Oxford,  all  of  her  train  had  deserted  excepting  the  Duke 
of  Gloucester,  with  whom  she  entered  the  city  alone. 

With  a  large  army  ready  to  support  her,  Queen  Matilda 


84  The  Queens  of  England. 

now  returned  to  London,  where  she  was  received  by  the 
populace  with  open  arms.  Her  next  step  was  to  go  with 
her  son  to  the  Bishop  of  Winchester  and  entreat  him  to 
assist  her  in  once  more  placing  her  husband  on  the  throne. 

He  promised  to  do  so,  and  urged  the  queen  to  put  her- 
self at  the  head  of  her  army  and  march  to  Winchester.  At 
her  approach,  the  prelate  retired  to  his  castle  in  the 
suburbs,  and  a  blockade  was  established  that  made  the 
empress  tremble  in  her  palace.  No  doubt,  during  the  two 
months  of  famine  and  warfare  that  succeeded,  she  regretted 
more  than  once  the  scorn  with  which  she  had  repulsed  her 
cousin's  humble  appeal.  At  last,  when  at  least  twenty-five 
churches  and  monasteries  had  been  destroyed,  and  the 
empress  knew  that  her  position  was  becoming  daily  more 
dangerous,  she  prevailed  on  her  brother,  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester,  to  assist  her  to  escape.  He  and  the  King  of 
Scotland  attempted  to  do  so  by  forcing  their  way  through 
the  besiegers. 

The  Duke  of  Gloucester  fought  bravely,  but  was  com- 
pelled to  surrender  at  last,  when  he  was  made  captive  and 
conducted  before  Queen  Matilda.  The  King  of  Scotland 
escaped  with  the  empress,  and  got  as  far  as  Devizes,  where 
the  queen's  soldiers  pursued  them  so  closely  that  they 
would  certainly  have  been  captured  but  for  a  stratagem  to 
which  the  empress  was  compelled  to  resort  for  safety.  She 
had  herself  rolled  in  a  winding-sheet,  and  placed  in  a 
coffin,  and  was  in  this  manner  carried  on  the  shoulders  of 
some  of  her  faithful  partisans  to  the  fortress  of  Gloucester, 
which  belonged  to  her  brother.  There  she  was  deposited 
at  last,  after  many  hours  of  travel,  worn  out  with  fasting 
and  terror. 

[A.D.  1 141.]  The  Duke  of  Gloucester  was  so  necessary 
to  his  party,  that  the  empress  opened  communication  with 
Queen  Matilda  to  effect  his  release.     But  the  only  terms 


ESCAPE   FROM    OXFORD. 


"41-  Matilda  of  Boulogne.  ^7 

to  which  the  devoted  wife  would  listen,  were  those  that 
would  secure  the  restoration  of  her  husband.  Consequently, 
after  many  propositions  had  been  made  on  one  side  and 
rejected  on  the  other,  and  after  Queen  Matilda  had 
threatened  severe  measures  against  Gloucester,  the  illus- 
trious prisoners  were  exchanged.  This  important  evetit 
took  place  in  November,  1141. 

Stephen  had  another  attack  of  his  old  malady  soon  aftef 
his  release,  but  he  recovered  with  the  tender  care  bestowed 
upon  him  by  his  loving  wife,  and  then  ehtered  the  field 
again,  determined  to  fight  more  desperately  than  ever. 

Then  the  party  of  the  empress  thought  they  would  claim 
the  assistance  of  her  husband,  the  Count  of  Anjou,  for 
which  purpose  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  was  despatched  to 
Normandy.  Before  leaving  England,  however,  he  saw  his 
sister  established  at  the  Castle  of  Oxford,  where  he  felt 
perfectly  certain  of  her  safety. 

But  Stephen  was  so  bent  upon  capturing  the  empress 
that  he  laid  siege  to  the  fortress  she  occupied  and  reduced 
her  to  such  distress  for  want  of  provisions  that  she  escaped 
one  night  with  only  four  attendants.  The  fugitives  dressed 
themselves  from  head  to  foot  in  white,  and  as  the  ground 
was  all  covered  with  snow,  they  moved  noiselessly  and 
unnoticed  along,  protected  by  the  banks  of  snow  and  ice 
along  the  Thames,  through  a  blinding  stonn  that  flew  full 
in  their  faces.  When  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  castle, 
they  walked  faster,  over  hedges  and  ditches,  until  they 
reached  a  town  six  miles  off,  where  they  obtained  horses 
and  rode  on  to  Wallingford  the  same  night. 

There  the  empress  met  her  brother,  who  had  just 
returned  from  Nonnandy.  The  Count  of  Anjou  had  not 
seen  fit  to  comply  with  the  request  of  his  wife's  party  for 
assistance,  but  compromised  by  sending  Prince  Henry  to 
see  his  mother,  keeping  their  other  child,  Geoffrey,  with 


S8 


The  Queens  of  England. 


him.  He  was  evidently  not  anxious  to  see  her  himself. 
Three  years  later  the  count  sent  a  train  of  Norman  nobles 
to  England  to  reclaim  his  heir.  The  Duke  of  Gloucester 
accompanied  his  nephew  part  of  the  way,  and  then  bade 
him  farewell  forever ;  for  he  died  in  October,  1147.  De- 
prived of  the  support  of  this  true-hearted  brother,  the 
Empress  Matilda  abandoned  hope  and  left  England,  nearly 
all  of  her  friends  having  deserted  her. 

Stephen  and  Matilda  were  so  delighted  at  the  departure 
of  the  empress,  and  the  establishment  of  peace,  that  they 
celebrated  the  following  Christmas  with  unusual  splendor, 
and  prevailed  upon  some  of  the  barons  to  swear  fealty  to 
their  son,  Eustace,  then  thirteen  years  old,  and  acknowl- 
edge him  as  heir-apparent  to  the  throne. 

In  1 148,  Queen  Matilda  founded  and  endowed  the 
Church  of  St.  Katherine,  by  the  tower;  also  the  Royal 
Abbey  of  Feversham  in  Kent.  Then  she  spent  a  few 
months  quietly  at  the  convent.  But  her  health  had  begun 
to  decline,  and  she  died  of  a  fever  on  the  3d  of  May,  1151, 
at  the  age  of  forty-seven. 

She  was  buried  at  the  new  abbey  of  Feversham,  and 
was  deeply  lamented  by  all  who  knew  her.  About  three 
years  later  Stephen  was  laid  beside  his  beloved  queen. 


NORMAN    ROBE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ELEANORA    OF    AQUITAINE,    QUEEN    OF   HENRY  II. 
(A.D.  1134— 1204.) 

Eleanora  was  born  in  the  beautiful  province  of  Aqui- 
taine,  a  name  that  Julius  Caesar  gave  to  the  south  of  Gaul 
on  account  of  its  numerous  rivers  and  fine  ports.  The 
people  liked  the  name  and  adopted  it ;  but  it  was  really 
the  ancient  kingdom  of  Provence. 

Eleanora  and  her  sister  Petronilla  were  daughters  of 
William,  Count  of  Poitou,  such  a  good,  piou^  man,  that  as 
he  happened  to  be  in  the  Holy  Land  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  he  was  forever  after  called  St.  William. 

The  grandfather  of  these  girls  was  William  IX.,  not  a 
very  good  man,  but  a  learned  one,  and  an  excellent  poet. 
The  most  polished  and  civilized  people  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  in  the  12th  and  13th  centuries  were  to  be  found  in 
Provence,  and  their  language,  which  was  a  mixture  of 
French  and  Italian,  was  particularly  adapted  for  poetry 
and  music.  This  is  no  doubt  the  reason  why  there  were 
so  many  minstrels  in  that  country,  who  wandered  about 
from  one  nobleman's  house  to  another,  singing  their  songs 
and  reciting  their  poems. 

,  William  IX.  was  a  troubadour,  and  his  compositions 
were  so  popular  that  they  became  models  for  all  the  others. 
He  was  the  most  powerful  prince  in  all  Europe,  but  as  he 
advanced  in  years  his  conscience  began  to  trouble  him,  and 

89 


90 


The  Queens  of  England. 


he  thought  he  must  reform  before  it  was  too  late.  So, 
when  Eleanora  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  ap* 
pointed  her  ruler  of  Aquitaine  in  his  place,  assembled  all 
the  nobles  of  the  land,  and  made  them  take  an  oath  of 
allegiance  to  her,  because,  as  he  told  them,  he  wished  to 
occupy  himself  with  spiritual  matters. 

This  done,  he  planned  a  marriage  between  Eleanora 
and  the  son  of  Louis  VI.  of  France.     The  young  people 

had  no  objections  to 
offer,  and  they  were 
married  at  Bordeaux 
without  delay, 

[A.D.  1 137.]  As 
soon  as  they  were 
crowned  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Aqui- 
taine, William  IX. 
laid  aside  his  royal 
robes  forever.  At- 
tired in  a  hermit's 
gown,  he  started 
on  a  pilgrimage  to 
Spain,  and  passed 
several  years  in  dif- 
ferent caves  in  the  gloomy,  rocky  wilderness,  where  he 
ended  his  days. 

Now,  Eleanora  was  a  great  heiress,  because  all  the  rich 
territory  that  her  grandfather  had  owned  passed  into  her 
possession. 

Afterwards,  young  Louis  was  crowned  Duke  of  Guienne, 
when  he  and  his  youthful  bride  were  summoned  to  France 
to  attend  the  death-bed  of  his  father,  Louis  VI.,  the  good 
king  and  wise  law  -  maker.  His  dying  words  were : 
"  Remember,  royalty  is  a  public  trust,  for  the  exercise  of 


THE    PILGRIM. 


¥\ 


m 


£L£AKORA  OS  AgUITAINB. 


1 137-  Eleanora  of  Aquitaine.  93 

which  a  rigorous  account  will  be  exacted  by  Him  who  has 

the  sole  disposal  of  crowns  and  sceptres." 

Louis  was  impressed  by  these  words,  but  they  had  little 
weight  with  the  thoughtless  Eleanora.  She  was  beautiful 
and  accomplished,  but  seemed  to  think  that  the  chief 
object  in  life  was  enjoyment.  She  was  a  fine  musician, 
and  wrote  some  beautiful  poetry,  which  she  set  to  music. 
These  verses  were  remembered  and  sung  long  after  she 
had  ceased  to  live,  which  proves  that  they  must  have  had 
considerable  merit. 

Eleanora's  southern  subjects  adored  her,,  and  were 
dreadfully  grieved  whenever  she  had  ta  leave  them  to 
return  to  her  court  at  Paris.  She  preferred  to  stay  among 
them,  too,  because,  as  she  had  entire  control  of  affairs  in 
the  south,  all  was  life  and  fun  there,  while  her  husband's 
palace  was  under  such  rigid  rule  that  it  was  almost  like  a 
convent. 

She  gave  festivals  in  Provence,  called  "  Courts  of  Love," 
that  were  very  popular  among  her  subjects.  On  such 
occasions  she,  with  her  ladies-in-waiting,  would  receive 
all  the  troubadours  who  chose  to  come  with  their  new 
poems  and  songs.  The  ladies  would  hear  them,  and  then 
pronounce  sentence  upon  them,  and  as  Eleanora  was  a 
very  accomplished  poetess,  her  judgment  was  considered 
of  great  value. 

She  could  not  induce  her  husband  to  take  part  in  these 
amusements,  yet  she  had  considerable  influence  over  him, 
.which,  unfortunately,  once  led  him  to  commit  an  act  of 
great  injustice.  It  was  on  account  of  her  sister,  Petronilla, 
whose  beauty  was  equal  to  her  own,  and  whose  sense  of 
right  was  sadly  wanting.  This  princess  happened  to  fall 
in  love  with  a  certain  young  count,  whose  affection  she 
was  determined  to  have,  although  he  was  a  married  man. 
So  she  and  Eleanora  put  their  heads  together  and  planned, 


94  The  Queens  of  England. 

until  they  brought  about  a  divorce  between  the  count  and 
his  wife  for  some  trifling  excuse.  Then  Petronilla  married 
him.  But  the  former  wife  had  a  brother,  the  Count  of 
Champagne,  who  would  not  stand  such  treatment  towards 
his  sister,  so  he  laid  the  matter  before  the  pope,  who  com- 
manded the  divorced  count  to  leave  his  new  wife  immedi- 
ately and  take  back  the  former  one.  This  so  enraged 
Eleanora  that  she  persuaded  her  husband  to  punish  the 
Count  of  Champagne.  Louis,  who  had  another  cause  of 
offence  against  this  man,  did  not  need  much  urging,  and 
invaded  his  country  at  the  head  of  a  large  army.  They 
destroyed  right  and  ^  left  until  they  came  to  the  town  of 
Vitry,  which  they  began  to  storm  ;  thirteen  hundred  of  the 
terrified  inhabitants  rushed  to  the  cathedral  and  locked 
themselves  in  for  safety.  The  building  was  set  on  fire  by 
the  besiegers,  and  every  soul  was  burned  to  death.  About 
this  period  the  eloquent  St.  Bernard  came  to  Burgundy 
and  preached  the  crusade.  Such  crowds  of  people  flocked 
to  hear  him  that  they  were  obliged  to  meet  in  the  market 
place,  for  there  was  no  church  in  the  town  nearly  large 
enough  to  contain  them.  King  Louis  and  Queen  Eleanora 
were  present  also,  and  the  saint  spoke  so  eloquently,  and 
in  such  harsh  tones,  about  the  burning  of  the  Vitry  cathe- 
dral that  they  both  felt  very  repentant.  The  king  resolved 
to  atone  for  the  horrible  deed  by  going  to  the  Holy  Land 
to  fight  for  the  Christian  cause.  That  was  all  very  well, 
and  one  can  only  admire  him  for  such  a  resolution.  But 
the  queen  vowed  that  she  would  accompany  her  lord,  and 
lead  her  southern  forces  in  person.  This  was  a  silly  deter- 
mination for  a  woman,  and  the  excellent  Abbot  Suger  tried 
to  persuade  her  to  give  up  all  idea  of  such  a  wild  expe- 
dition, but  she  had  made  up  her  mind  to  become  a  female 
crusader,  and  no  argument  could  change  her.  Throughout 
her   life,   she   was  weak  where   she  ought  to  have  been 


1 141-  Eleanora  of  Aquitaine.  97 

strong,  and  determined  where  timidity  would  have  been, 
by  far,  more  becoming  and  womanly.  The  king  did  not 
oppose  her  crusade ;  but  even  if  he  had,  she  would  have 
forced  him  to  yield  to  her  will. 

She  received  the  holy  cross  from  the  hand  of  St.  Ber- 
nard, and  immediately  put  on  the  dress  of  an  Amazon  and 
mounted  a  horse.  All  the  court  ladies  did  the  same,  call- 
ing themselves  the  queen's  body-guard.  Then  they  formed 
in  parade  every  day,  and  practised  military  exercise  in 
public,  making  themselves  as  ridiculous  as  possible.  In 
short,  they  were  a  band  of  madwomen,  and  nobody  could 
control  them.  When  once  they  had  become  Amazons  they 
abandoned  all  womanly  occupations,  consequently  had  no 
use  for  their  distaffs ;  these  they  sent  to  all  the  knights  and 
nobles  who  kept  out  of  this  insane  expedition.  Thus,  many 
of  them  being  too  weak  to  stand  such  a  taunt,  were 
actually  shamed  into  joining  though  their  good  sense 
opposed  it. 

King  Louis  managed  his  difficult  enterprise  with  a  good 
deal  of  courage  and  prudence,  but  it  would  have  required 
a  greater  general  than  the  world  has  ever  known  to  disci- 
pline a  regiment  of  fantastic  women.  The  freaks  of  these 
female  warriors  were  the  cause  of  all  the  misfortunes  that 
befell  the  army,  for  the  king,  after  landing  in  Thrace,  sent 
them  forward  with  his  choicest  troops,  and  told  them 
exactly  how  to  choose  their  camp  so  that  they  would  over- 
look the  valley  of  Laodicea.  He  remained  about  five 
miles  behind  with  the  baggage,  of  which  there  was  a  large 
supply,  and  had  to  stop  frequently  to  fight  the  bands  of 
Arabs  who  attacked  him. 

Instead  of  obeying  her  husband's  directions.  Queen 
Eleanora  insisted  that  her  part  of  the  army  should  halt  in 
a  lovely  valley,  full  of  grass  and  flowers.  This  inviting 
spot  caught  her  fancy,  and  military  discipline  became  of 
secondary  importance  to  her. 


98  The  Queens  of  England. 

It  was  almost  night  when  the  king  approached  the 
valley ;  he  could  not  distinguish  his  troops  on  the  elevated 
ground  where  they  ought  to  have  been,  and  knew  not  what 
to  make  of  it.  The  queen  was  not  encamped  there,  that 
was  certain,  so  there  was  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  to 
enter  the  valley  in  search  of  her.  Soon  after  he  was 
attacked  from  the  hills  by  swarms  of  Arabs,  and  had  to 
move  in  and  out  among  the  rocks  to  dodge  them.  At  one 
time  he  barely  escaped  with  his  life  by  climbing  a  tree, 
whence  he  fought  desperately.  It  was  daylight  before  he 
discovered  the  troops  that  he  had  sent  in  advance.  During 
the  night  seven  thousand  French  soldiers  had  been  killed, 
the  provisions  had  been  cut  off,  the  baggage,  containing  all 
the  fine  clothing  of  the  lady  warriors,  had  been  plundered 
by  the  Arabs,  and  the  whole  army  was  in  great  distress. 
Fortunately,  Eleanora  had  an  uncle  living  near  by;  his 
name  was  Prince  Raymond,  and  he  was  the  handsomest 
man  of  his  time.  He  threw  open  his  friendly  gates  to  the 
defeated  French  army,  and  they  were  glad  to  rest  and 
refresh  themselves  after  all  the  hardships  they  had  endured. 
The  uncle  and  niece  met  for  the  first  time,  and  were  so 
charmed  with  each  other  that  Louis  soon  became  jealous ; 
so  one  night  he  hurried  his  wife  off  without  taking  leave  of 
his  polite  host.  This  made  Eleanora  so  angry  that  when 
they  arrived  at  Jerusalem  she  did  nothing  but  grumble  and 
complain.  Most  pilgrims  had  their  piety  aroused  on  this 
holy  ground,  but  it  was  not  so  with  Eleanora ;  she  wanted 
to  get  home,  and  quarrelled  with  her  husband  for  keeping 
her  there.  In  fact,  she  never  forgave  him  for  forcing  her 
away  from  her  uncle's  agreeable  company,  and  from  that 
time  all  affection  was  at  an  end  between  this  royal  couple 
Eleanora  was  not  willing  to  submit  to  restraint  of  any  sort, 
and  her  husband's  temper  was  so  tried  that  he  resolved  to 
have  a  divorce.     So,  on  his  return  to  Paris,  he  consulted 


1I5I-  Eleanora  of  Aquitaine.  go 

his  confidant,  the  Abbot  Suger,  about  this  matter.  That 
worthy  man  advised  him  to  wait ;  because,  he  argued,  that 
it  would  be  troublesome  for  France  to  have  to  give  up  the 
money  Eleanora's  provinces  in  the  south  yielded ;  besides 
Louis'  daughter,  the  Princess  Marie,  would  probably  be 
deprived  of  her  inheritance  if  her  mother  should  take  it 
into  her  head  to  marry  again. 

Louis  accepted  this  advice,  but  he  had  his  wife  closely 
watched,  and  would  not  allow  her  to  go  to  Provence  at 
all.  She  complained  of  the  stupid  life  she  led  in  Paris, 
and  made  great  fun  of  her  husband  for  wearing  plain  cloth- 
ing and  keeping  his  head  and  beard  closely  cropped,  which 
she  declared  made  him  look  more  like  a  priest  than  a  king. 

Well,  in  time  another  princess  was  born,  and  named 
Alice.  Soon  after  this  event  Henry  Plantagenet  visited 
Paris.  He  was  a  noble-looking  young  prince,  full  of 
energy  and  very  intellectual. 

[A.D.  1 15 1.]  Eleanora  fell  so  desperately  in  love  with 
him  that  without  hesitation  or  advice  she  applied  for  a 
divorce  from  Louis,  and  got  it.  No  doubt  the  king  was 
glad  to  be  rid  of  such  an  undutiful,  unwomanly  wife, 
though  he  did  have  to  give  up  all  control  over  his  southern 
provinces,  even  Guienne. 

Eleanora  went  straight  to  her  favorite  home,  where 
Henry  Plantagenet  followed  her.  He  was  probably  not 
so  very  much  in  love  with  her,  for  she  was  twelve  years  his 
senior,  but  he  needed  her  money  and  her  ships  to  fight 
King  Stephen,  and  lay  claim  to  the  throne  of  England, 
which  he  did  during  the  first  year  of  their  marriage. 

He  returned  in  triumph,  and  was  besieging  the  castle  of 
a  rebel  duke  in  Normandy  when  the  news  of  Stephen's 
death  reached  him.  For  six  weeks  England  was  without 
a  king,  until  Eleanora  and  Henry  arrived  with  their  young 
son.     They  were  crowned  at  Westminster  Abbey  in  1154, 


lOO  The  Queens  of  England. 

and  such  a  magnificent  coronation  had  never  been  seen. 
The  costumes  of  costly  silk  and  brocade  worn  on  that 
occasion  had  been  brought  by  Eleanora  from  Constanti- 
nople. In  one  of  her  portraits  she  wears  a  close  coif,  or 
hood,  over  which  is  a  band  of  precious  stones  ;  a  rich 
brocade  gown  is  fastened  with  full  gathers  just  below  the 
throat,  and  confined  there  with  a  costly  collar  of  exquisite 
gems.  Over  this  is  an  outer  robe,  or  pelisse,  bordered  with 
fur,  the  large  sleeves  of  which  fall  open  from  the  shoulder, 
displaying  the  tight  ones  of  the  gown  beneath.  In  some 
portraits  her  hair  is  braided  and  wound  closely  around  her 
head  with  jewelled  bands,  and  over  this  is  a  piece  of  fine 
gauze,  which  could  be  so  arranged  as  to  serve  the  double 
purpose  of  veil  or  bonnet,  just  as  the  wearer  chose. 

Before  marriage,  the  girls  of  that  time  wore  their  hair  in 
long  ringlets,  but  the  church  required  married  ladies  to 
conceal  their  locks.  After  Henry  I.  cut  off  his  curls,  and 
forbade  his  courtiers  to  wear  their  hair  long,  they  adopted 
wigs,  but  Henry  II.  abolished  them,  and  appeared  at  his 
coronation  with  short  hair  and  shaven  chin.  His  dalmatica, 
or  long  gown,  was  of  the  richest  brocade  with  elaborate 
gold  embroidery ;  over  this  he  wore  the  short  cloak  after- 
wards called  the  court-mantle.  This  coronation  introduced 
into  England  the  sumptuous  robes  of  silk  and  velvet  worn 
by  the  ecclesiastics  there  on  that  occasion.  The  queen's 
first  residence  in  England  was  at  a  little  village  nearly 
opposite  to  London,  and  she  must  have  been  struck  with 
the  grandeur  of  that  remarkable  city,  with  its  tower,  its 
tall  spires,  and  the  river  Thames  running  through  it,  so 
different  from  anything  she  had  ever  seen  before. 

Now,  although  she  did  not  please  her  new  subjects,  who 
were  acquainted,  of  course,  with  her  former  behavior,  they 
felt  the  advantage  of  being  connected  with  her  Aqui- 
tainian  dominion,  and  in  a  few  months  large  fortunes  were 


iiso* 


Eleanora  of  Aqtdtaine. 


lOI 


made  by  the  London  traders  in  the  wines  imported  from 
the  port  of  Bordeaux. 

One  of  the  queen's  country  residences  was  at  Woodstock, 
where  rather  a  peculiar  incident  occurred.  She  was  resting 
in  the  park,  concealed  by  the  shrubbery,  one  day  when 
the  king  passed  so  close  to  her  that  she  observed  a 
thread  of  silk  tightly  twisted  into  his  spur.  She  wondered 
where  he  could  have  been  to  have  picked  up  such  a  thing, 
so,  as  he  moved  off,  she  cut  it,  and  resolved  to  ferret  out 
the  mystery.  Next  day  he  left  Woodstock  for  a  long 
journey,  and  the  queen  immediately  thought  that  now  was 
her  time  to  gratify  her  curiosity.  So  she  sought  the  piece 
of  silk,  which  proved  to  be  the  end  of  a  ball,  and  followed 
its  windings  among  the  roads  and  thickets  until  she  came 
to  a  door  cunningly 
concealed  by  a  luxu- 
riant vine.  This  she 
opened,  and  found 
it  to  be  the  entrance 
to  a  winding  path 
under  ground.  A 
few    minutes'    walk 

brought  her  to  a  bower  at  the  further  end  of  the  forest,  in 
which  sat  an  exceedingly  pretty  young  girl  embroidering. 
"Aha!"  thought  the  lady,  "now  we  know  where  Henry 
gets  his  spurs  caught  in  balls  of  silk." 

This  girl  was  Rosamond  Clifford,  who  was  said  to  have 
been  a  playmate  of  Henry's  in  his  youth,  and  as  she  was 
kept  a  prisoner,  it  is  probable  that  she  did  not  know  of  his 
marriage  until  his  wife  informed  her  of  it.  At  all  events, 
nobody  ever  heard  what  took  place  at  this  interview,  but  it 
is  certain  that,  in  obedience  to  the  queen's  commands, 
Rosamond  entered  the  convent  of  Godstowe,  where  she 
passed  the  remaining  twenty  years  of  her  life. 


THE   MAZE. 


I02 


The  Queens  of  England. 


[A.D.  1 156.]  Shortly  after  this  adventure,  the  Princess 
Matilda  was  born,  and  a  year  later  the  celebrated  Richard 
Coeur  de  Lion  came  into  the  world.  In  course  of  time, 
Queen  Eleanora  had  several  other  children,  among  whom 
was  John,  surnamed  Lackland,  because  once,  when  Henry 


GODSTOWE    NUNNERY. 

II.  fancied  himself  about  to  die,  he  left  dominions  to  all 
his  sons  excepting  this  one. 

Little  Matilda  was  three  years  old  when  she  was  married 
to  Henry  the  Lion,  Duke  of  Saxony, 

A  revolt  in  the  south  of  France  caused  Eleanora's  return, 
because  her  subjects  there  insisted  on  having  her  to  rule 
them.  King  Henry  escorted  her  to  Bordeaux,  where  she 
stayed  with  her  son  Richard. 


MURDER  OF  THOMAS  A  BKCKKT. 


iiyi-  Eleanora  of  Aquitaine. 


105 


Great  disputes  had  been  going  on  in  England  for  a  long 
time  between  the  church  and  state,  headed  by  Thomas  k 
Becket,  the  celebrated  Archbishop  of  Canterbur)^  Prince 
Henry  was  so  devoted  to  this  priest,"  who  had  been  his 
tutor,  that  the  king  became  jealous  of  the  influence  exerted 
by  Becket  over  the  mind  of  his  son.  In  order  to  change 
the  current  of  the  prince's  thoughts,  the  father  offered  him 
a  share  in  the  government  of  his  kingdom.  This  was 
gladly  accepted,  and  young  Henry  was  crowned.  But  he 
had  a  perverse  little  wife.  Marguerite,  daughter  of  Louis 
VH.,  who  was  fond  of  Becket,  too,  and  she  vowed  that  she 
would  wear  no  crown  that  had  not  been  placed  on  her 
head  by  that  fascinating  prelate ;  so  she  remained  with  her 
mother-in-law  at  Aquitaine. 

King  Henry  met  with  so  much  opposition  at  the  hands  of 
Becket  that  he  became  enraged  at  the  very  sight  of  that 
priest.  Once,  when  he  was  the  subject  of  conversation 
among  his  knights,  Henry  asked,  angrily,  "whether  no 
man  loved  him  enough  to  revenge  the  affronts  he  perpetu- 
ally received  from  an  insolent  priest  ?  " 

[A.D.  1 17 1.]  Four  armed  men  instantly  proceeded  to 
the  cathedral,  and  slaughtered  the  archbishop  while  he  was 
kneeling  before  the  altar  in  prayer. 

When  this  happened  Eleanora  was  still  in  the  south  with 
her  son  Richard,  who  had  been  crowned  Count  of  Poitou. 
Suddenly  she  chanced  to  hear  that  Henry  was  thinking 
about  getting  a  divorce  from  her,  so  she  resolved  to  seek 
the  protection  of  her  former  husband,  the  King  of  France. 
Disguised  in  male  attire,  she  stole  out  of  the  palace  at 
night,  and  started  on  her  journey.  But  Henry  had  his 
Norman  agents  on  the  spot,  and  they  watched  her  so 
closely  that  her  absence  was  discovered  in  time  for  them 
to  overtake  her.  They  captured  her  very  roughly,  and 
brought  her  back  to  Bordeaux,  where  she  was  kept  in  close 


io6  The  Queens  of  England. 

imprisonment  until  her  lord  was  summoned.  He  remained 
only  a  few  days  in  the  south,  then  went  back  to  England 
with  two  royal  captives,  his  wife  and  the  young  Princess 
Marguerite,  whom  he  had  not  forgiven  for  scorning  the 
crown  he  offered  unless  it  could  be  consecrated  by  his 
enemy,  Becket.  Now,  that  he  had  her  in  his  power,  he 
resolved  to  punish  her.  But  after  a  few  months'  confine- 
ment she  was  restored  to  her  husband. 

^Eleanora  was  not  so  fortunate,  for  she  was  kept  a  prisoner 
at  the  royal  palace  of  Winchester  for  nearly  sixteen  years. 
During  that  time  there  was  no  end  of  strife  among  her 
sons.  The  real  mischief-makers  were  the  troubadours,  of 
whom  we  have  spoken,  for  with  their  inspiring  war  songs 
they  were  constantly  urging  the  princes  to  battle  for  one 
trivial  reason  or  another,  even  when  they  would  gladly 
have  been  at  peace. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  queen  was  unkindly 
treated  at  Winchester,  for,  on  the  contrary,  she  received  the 
attention  and  respect  due  to  her  station.  While  she  was 
there  Louis  VII.,  her  divorced  husband,  died  ;  and  shortly 
after,  the  death  of  her  eldest  son,  Henry  Plantagenet, 
followed.  This  was  a  great  sorrow  to  the  royal  couple, 
and  Henry  mourned  with  the  deep  grief  of  David  over  Ab- 
salom. Still  later,  their  son  Geoffrey  was  killed  in  a  grand 
tournament  in  Paris. 

In  one  of  her  letters  to  the  pope,  the  queen  thus  writes 
about  these  bereavements :  *'  The  younger  king  and 
Geoffrey,  Count  of  Bretagne,  both  sleep  in  the  dust,  while 
their  most  wretched  mother  is  compelled  to  live  on,  though 
tortured  by  recollections  of  the  dead." 

In  1 189,  Henry  II.  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
Richard  I.,  Coeur  de  Lion.  About  the  first  act  of  the  new 
king  was  to  order  his  mother's  release,  and  from  a  captive 
Queen  Eleanora  at  once  became  a  sovereign,  for  the  reins 


TOMB  OF  HENRY  U. 


1204-  Eleanora  of  Aquitaine,  109 

of  government  were  placed  in  her  hands  as  regent.  Her  long 
confinement  must  have  had  a  good  effect  on  her,  for  she 
went  about,  from  city  to  city,  releasing  all  the  poor  people 
that  her  husband  had  cruelly  locked  up  for  violating  the 
Norman  game  laws,  and  spent  her  whole  time  in  acts  of 
mercy  and  charity.  Richard  was  crowned  in  1189,  but,  as 
his  mother's  mourning  prevented  her  being  present  on  that 
occasion,  no  women  were  admitted  at  all. 

The  king  then  settled  a  most  liberal  revenue  on  his 
mother,  and  she  went  to  Aquitaine,  the  government  of 
which  was  also  restored  to  her.  But  she  did  not  stay 
there ;  her  old  age  was  passed  in  England,  where  she 
assisted  her  son  in  governing,  and  made  him,  as  well  as 
herself,  exceedingly  popular. 

Eleanora  of  Aquitaine  is  among  the  very  few  women 
who,  after  an  ill-spent  youth,  have  become  wise  and  benev- 
olent in  old  age.  But  she  had  a  great  deal  more  trouble 
to  bear  before  her  death.  Her  life  exhibits  many  traces 
of  a  great  ruler.  If  she  had  only  been  blessed  in  her  early 
days  with  a  good,  moral  education,  she  would  have  been 
one  of  the  greatest  women  of  her  time.  Slowly  and  surely 
she  learned  the  stern  lesson  of  life,  which  teaches  that 
without  virtue,  power,  beauty  and  royalty  are  of  slight 
avail. 

[A.D.  1204.]  She  was  a  very  old  woman  when  she  retired 
to  a  convent,  where  she  spent  many  months  previous  to 
her  death,  which  occurred  in  1204.  She  was  buried  by  the 
side  of  Henry  II.,  and  on  her  tomb  is  a  reclining  statue 
said  to  be  a  good  portrait  of  herself.  The  features  are 
noble  and  intellectual.  On  the  head  is  a  hood,  above 
which  is  a  regal  diadem ;  and  a  blue  mantle,  figured  with 
silver  crescents,  is  folded  gracefully  about  her  form. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BERENGARIA  OF   NAVARRE,  QUEEN  OF  RICHARD  I. 
A.D.  1 165 — 1230. 

Richard  Cceur  de  Lion  first  met  the  beautiful,  accom- 
plished Berengaria  at  a  tournament,  and  fell  desperately 
in  love  with  her ;  but,  unfortunately,  he  was  at  that  time 
engaged  to  Alice  of  France,  so  could  not  offer  his  hand  to 
the  Provencal  princess. 

Both  Sancho  the  Wise,  King  of  Navarre,  Berengaria's 
father,  and  Sancho  the  Strong,  her  brother,  were  poets  of 
considerable  merit,  and  early  came  under  the  notice  of 
Richard,  who  was  not  only  a  troubadour  poet,  but  as 
sovereign  of  Aquitaine^  he  was,  besides,  the  prince  and 
judge  of  all  the  troubadours.  Between  him  and  Beren- 
garia's brother  a  warm  friendship  was  formed  in  early  youth, 
strengthened  by  their  similarity  of  tastes. 

It  was  not  until  after  his  father's  death  that  Richard 
was  at  liberty  to  marry  the  Princess  Berengaria,  to  whom 
he  had  been  secretly  engaged  for  several  years.  So  she 
was  about  twenty-six  years  old  when  Richard  ascended  the 
throne  of  England.  He  at  once  sent  his  mother.  Queen 
Eleanora,  to  the  court  of  Sancho  the  Wise  to  demand  the 
princess  in  marriage. 

The  royal  father  was  much  pleased,  and  placed  his 
daughter  in  charge  of  the  queen  without  hesitation.  The 
two  ladies  set  out  together  and  travelled  as  far  as  Naples, 
where  ships  awaited  them  in  the  bay.     But  the  princess 


iRENGARIA   OF  NAVARRB. 


1 19- •  Berengaria  of  Navarre.  1 1 3 

would  not  joift  her  lover  until  he  had  broken  off  his 
engagement  with  Alice;  so  she  spent  the  spring  of  1191 
at  Brindisi  with  his  mother.  At  last  a  message  .came  from 
Richard  announcing  that  he  was  free  to  marry,  then  his 
lady-love  returned  to  France  with  his  sister,  Queen  Joanna, 
in  whose  charge  she  had  been  placed  by  the  queen  mother. 

While  Richard  was  Awaiting  the  arrival  of  Berengaria, 
he  instituted  the  order  of  Knights  of  the  Blue  Thong,  to 
scale  the  walls  of  Acre.  They  were  twenty-four  in  num- 
ber, and  were  distinguished  by  a  band  of  blue  leather 
which  each  wore  on  his  left  leg. 

[A.D.  1192.]-  It  was  Lent  when  Berengaria  met  her 
royal  lover,  therefore  their  marriage  had  to  be  postponed ; 
but  so  anxious  was  Richard  to  begin  his  crusade,  that  he 
set*out  at  once  with  his  knights  in  his  favorite  ship,  which 
he  had  named  '■'■Trenc-the-mere"  meaning  cut  the  sea.  His 
fleet  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  ships  and  fifty 
galleys.  Among  the  latter  was  one  in  which  Berengaria 
and  Queen  Joanna,  guarded  by  a  brave  knight;  accompa- 
nied the  crusaders. 

A  dreadful  storm  drove  the  galley  which  contained  the 
queen  and  princess  into  the  harbor  of  Limoussa,  the  capital 
of  Cyprus,  but  when  Isaac  Comnenus,  the  lord  of  the  isle, 
found  out  who  they  were,  he  brutally  refused  them  shelter, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  row  out  of  the  harbor.  As  soon 
as  the  gale  abated,  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,  who  had  found 
shelter  in  a  harbor  of  Crete,  started  in  search  of  his  bride. 
When  he  beheld  her  ship  pitching  and  tossing  in  the  Bay 
of  Famaguta,  he  suspected  that  something  had  prevented 
the  knight  in  charge  from  seeking  the  protection  so  near 
at  hand.  Armed,  as  he  was,  he  jumped  into  the  first  boat 
that  could  be  got  ready,  and  when,  on  reaching  the  queen's 
galley,  he  heard  how  the  Lord  of  Cyprus  had  behaved,  his 
fury  knew  no  bounds. 


114  The  Queens  of  England. 

Determined  to  punish  the  offender  at  once,  Richard  led 
his  crusaders  straight  to  Limoussa,  and  made  such  a  sudden 
and  desperate  attack  that  in  a  few  hours  he  had  captured 
the  town,  and  all  the  inhabitants  had  scampered  to  the 
neighboring  mountains  for  shelter. 

Then,  in  response  to  King  Richard's  signals,  the  queen's 
vessel  entered  the  harbor  and  landed  at  Limoussa,  where 
grand  preparations  were  soon  under  way  for  the  marriage 
and  coronation  of  the  royal  pair. 

The  wedding  ceremony  was  performed  in  the  month  of 
May,  1 191,  and  King  Richard  gave  a  grand  feast,  to  which 
he  invited  the  people  of  Cyprus. 

On  that  occasion  Berengaria  wore  a  richly-embroidered 
robe  of  velvet  and  satin.  Her  dark  hair  fell  in  curls,  over 
which  hung  a  full  long  lace  veil,  fastened  to  a  crown 
studded  with  rich  iewels. 

King  Richard  wore  a  short  rose-colored  satin  skirt,  with 
a  brocaded  mantle  embroidered  in  silver.  A  richly  jewelled 
Damascus  sword  hung  at  his  side,  and  on  his  head  he  wore 
a  scarlet  hood,  brocaded  in  gold  with  figures  of  animals. 
He  had  a  bright  complexion,  and  curly,  yellow  hair,  and" 
his  figure  was  a  perfect  model  of  manly  grace  and  strength. 

The  people  of  Cyprus  had  been  so  tyrannized  over  by 
Isaac  Comnenus  that  they  gladly  consented  to  receive 
Richard  for  their  king ;  therefore,  by  the  advice  of  all  the 
crusaders  who  had  witnessed  his  marriage,  he  was  crowned 
King  of  Cyprus,  and  his  bride  Queen  of  England  and 
Cyprus. 

Then  the  daughter  of  the  despot,  Isaac,  threw  herself  at 
King  Richard's  feet  and  asked  for  mercy.  He  kindly 
raised  her  from  the  ground  and  sent  her  to  his  wife  and 
sister,  with  whom  she  remained  until  the  end  of  the  crusade. 
Her  father  was  bound  in  silver  chains  and  presented  to 
Queen  Berengaria  as  her  captive. 


LEADERS    OF    FIRST    CRUSADE. 


1 192.  Berengaria  of  Navarre.  wj 

Once  more  the  fleet  set  sail  for  Palestine,  and  when 
Richard  appeared  before  Acre,  the  whole  army  of  Chris- 
tians, already  assembled  there,  marched  to  the  beach  to 
welcome  him. 

The  town  was  soon  taken,  and  before  proceeding  further, 
Richard  established  his  wife  and  sister  in  safe  quarters 
there,  under  the  protection  of  a  couple  of  brave  knights,  to 
await  his  return. 

King  Richard  distinguished  himself  by  many  brave  deeds 
during  his  Syrian  campaign,  and  captured  several  im- 
portant towns,  but  Jerusalem  did  not  fall  into  his  hands. 
Once  he  was  in  sight  of  that  coveted  city,  when  the  Duke 
of  Burgundy,  who  commanded  the  French  forces,  suddenly 
drew  back  with  his  whole  division  when  victory  seemed 
certain,  because  he  would  not  have  it  said  that  the  King 
of  England  had  taken  Jerusalem.  This  act,  which  was 
prompted  by  envy,  was  a  serious  blow  to  Richard,  who, 
throwing  down  his  weapon,  said,  with  tears  in  his  eyes  and 
his  hands  raised  to  heaven :  — 

"  Ah !  Lord  God,  I  pray  thee  that  I  may  never  see  thy 
holy  city,  Jerusalem,  since  I  have  failed  to  deliver  it  from 
the  hands  of  thine  enemies." 

He  returned  to  Acre  in  1192,  and,  after  spending  a  few 
days  with  his  wife  and  sister,  saw  them  embark  for  home 
on  the  very  day  he  himself  set  out  in  the  disguise  of  a 
Templar  to  return  across  Europe  by  a  different  route. 

His  vessel  was  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Istria,  and  his 
ignorance  of  geography  led  him  to  the  neighborhood  of 
Vienna,  the  capital  of  his  enemy,  Leopold  of  Austria. 

One  day,  after  several  narrow  escapes,  he  sent  a  page  to 
make  some  purchases  at  a  village  near  Vienna.  The  boy 
was  recognized  by  an  officer  who  had  been  in  the  late 
crusade  with  Leopold's  troops.  He  was  seized,  and  after 
suffering  much  cruelty,  confessed  where  he  had  left  his 


fl8  The  Queens  of  England. 

master.  A  part}'  of  soldiers  set  out  for  the  inn  designated, 
but  could  not  find  King  Richard.  The  landlord  said,  on 
being  questioned  :  "  No,  there  is  no  stranger  here,  unless 
it  be  the  Templar  in  the  kitchen,  who  is  turning  the  fowls 
which  are  roasting  for  dinner." 

The  Austrian  officer,  accompanied  by  his  soldiers,  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  the  kitchen,  recognized  the  king,  who 
sure  enough  was  busily  turning  the  spit,  and  cried  :  "  There 
he  is.     Seize  him !  " 

Coeur  de  Lion  started  up  and  fought  desperately  for 
liberty,  but  he  was  only  one  man  against  a  dozen,  who 
captured  him  and  carried  him  in  chains  before  Leopold. 

He  was  forthwith  locked  up  in  a  gloomy  prison,  where 
he  remained  for  many  months,  no  one  knowing  whether  he 
was  alive  or  dead. 

Meanwhile  Berengaria  and  Joanna  had  landed  at  Naples 
and  proceeded  to  Rome,  where  they  remained  six  months. 
While  there,  Berengaria  saw  a  belt  of  jewels  offered  for 
sale  that  she  knew  Richard  had  worn  when  he  parted  from 
her.  This  convinced  her  that  something  dreadful  had 
happened  to  him,  but  she  had  no  means  of  finding  out  the 
truth,  and  as  soon  as  she  could  get  a  safe  escort  she  jour- 
neyed on  until  she  arrived  at  Poitou. 

As  time  went  on,  poor  Richard  fancied  himself  forgotten, 
and  bitterly  lamented  because  he  had  no  friend  nor  relation 
who  loved  him  enough  to  rescue  him.  But  he  was  wrong, 
for  as  soon  as  his  mother  heard  of  his  captivity  she  spared 
no  pains  nor  money  to  obtain  his  release.  It  was  a  long 
time,  though,  before  the  exact  spot  of  his  imprisonment 
could  be  ascertained,  and  this  is  how  it  happened,  after 
many  months :  A  certain  troubadour  knight  who  had  been 
with  Richard  when  he  was  shipwrecked  at  Istria,  having 
heard  of  his  captivity,  wandered  around  through  the 
southern  cities  of  Germany  in  search  of  him.     One  day  he 


CAPTURE  OF   ACRE. 


"95'  Berengaria  of  Navarre.  121 

stood  beneath  the  tower  that  formed  Richard's  prison,  and 
sang  a  song  that  he  and  the  king  had  composed  together. 
When  he  finished  the  first  stanza,  the  prisoner  replied  with 
the  second ;  then  the  troubadour  hastened  with  all  speed 
to  Queen  Eleanora  with  the  discovery  he  had  made. 

She  took  immediate  measures  for  her  son's  release,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  the  pope,  to  whom  she  made  a  most 
pathetic  appeal,  a  large  ransom  was  collected,  with  which 
the  devoted  mother  set  out  for  Germany. 

[A.D.  1 195.]  After  an  absence  of  more  than  four  years, 
Richard  arrived  in  England  in  company  with  Queen 
Eleanora. 

During  his  imprisonment,  John,  his  younger  brother, 
had  tried  to  possess  himself  of  the  crown  of  England.  It 
was  the  mother  who  prevented  anything  so^  disgraceful, 
and  who  kept  all  Richard's  dominions  intact,  and  it  was 
she  who  proudly  sat  beside  her  brave  son  at  his  second 
coronation,  which  took  place  in  his  own  country. 

Berengaria  remained  in  France,  and  Richard  was  not  at 
all  anxious  to  join  her  there,  or  to  have  her  with  him.  The 
reason  for  this  remarkable  conduct  on  the  part  of  a  hus- 
band is  that  on  his  return  to  England  Richard  had  been  met 
by  his  former  bachelor  friends,  into  whose  way  of  living  he 
fell,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  more  sober  of  his  subjects. 
He  drank  with  them  to  excess,  and  led  such  a  gay,  bad 
life,  that  Berengaria  could  not  join  him. 

At  last  he  became  alarmingly  ill,  and  began  to  repent 
of  his  neglect  of  his  wife  ;  but  he  knew  that  she  was  justly 
displeased  with  him,  and  did  not  dare  to  approach  her.  So 
he  assembled  at  his  bedside  all  the  monks  within  ten  miles 
and  publicly  confessed  his  sins,  vowing  that  if  Queen 
Berengaria  would  forgive  him  he  would  never  forsake  her 
again. 

A  few  months  later  he  went  to  France  and  became 
% 


122  TJic  QuccJis  of  England. 

reconciled  to  his  wife.  It  was  a  year  of  famine  and  of 
suffering  among  the  poor,  and  the  queen  used  her  newly- 
restored  influence  over  the  heart  of  Richard  to  persuade 
him  to  many  acts  of  charity  that  preserved  the  lives  of  a 
number  of  families.  The  Christmas  of  the  year  1196, 
which  occurred  shortly  after  the  king's  arrival  in  France, 
was  celebrated  in  grand  style. 

Berengaria  accompanied  her  husband  in  all  his  cam- 
paigns after  that,  and  never  left  him  during  the  remaining 
three  years  of  his  life. 

It  was  when  Richard  was  storming  the  Castle  of  Chaluz, 
in  April,  1199,  that  an  arrow  pierced  liis  breast  and  caused 
his  death.     He  was  buried  at  the  Abbey  of  Fontevraud. 

Queen  Berengaria  went  to  live  at  Mans,  where  she 
founded  the  Abbey  of  L'Espan,  and  devoted  her  life  to 
deeds  of  charity. 

She  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  and  was  buried  at  the 
abbey  she  had  founded. 

She  deserves  to  be  remembered  as  a  Queen  of  England 
who  was  never  in  that  country,  and  as  a  woman  possessed 
of  many  noble  virtues. 


COSTUME    OF    THE    PERIOD. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ISABELLA   OF  ANGOULEME,  QUEEN  OF  KING  JOHN. 
(A.D.   1 185-1246.) 

John  ascended  the  throne  of  England  on  the  death  of 
his  brother,  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,  and  it  was  at  a  festival 
given  to  him  at  Angouleme  that  he  first  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Isabella,  who  afterwards  became  queen. 

[A.D.  1200.]  She  was  just  fifteen  years  old  and  so  beau- 
tiful that  King  John  fell  madly  in  love  with  her.  She 
was  engaged  to  Hugh  de  Lusignan  at  the  time,  but"  her 
parents  were  so  ambitious  for  her  to  be  raised  to  the  lofty 
position  of  Queen  of  England,  that  they  kept  her  with 
them  after  the  festival  instead  of  allowing  her  to  return  to 
the  Castle  of  Valence,  the  possession  of  her  betrothed, 
where  she  had  been  living  under  the  protection  of  the 
Count  of  Eu,  his  brother. 

Isabella  really  loved  Hugh  de  Lusignan,  but  she  was 
dazzled  by  the  splendor  of  the  triple  crown  of  England, 
Normandy  and  Aquitaine,  and,  as  her  lover  was  absent,  she 
denied  that  she  had  ever  consented  to  marry  him. 

According  to  the  feudal  laws  of  the  thirteenth  century. 
King  John,  as  ruler  of  Aquitaine,  had  the  power  to  prevent 
any  marriage  that  the  Provengale  princess  might  contract,  if 
he  chose,  and  to  deprive  her  of  her  inheritance  besides. 

So,  when  King  John  and  Isabella  were  married,  in  the 
month  of  August,  1200,  Count  Hugh  dared  not  interfere  to 
prevent  it.     But  he  challenged  the  king  to  mortal  combat. 

123 


1 24  The  Queens  of  England. 

The  reply  he  got  was  that  if  he  wished  to  fight  a  champion 
should  be  appointed  for  that  purpose,  but  he  was  indignant 
at  such  a  proposition  and  determined  to  await  an  opportu- 
nity for  revenge. 

Isabella  sailed  with  her  husband  for  England,  where  she 
was  duly  crowned  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  Six 
months  of  feasting  and  enjoyment  succeeded,  which  were 
only  terminated  at  last  by  rumors  of  war. 

Thereupon,  King  John  retired  with  his  wife  to  Rouen, 
where  he  led  such  a  life  of  indolent  ease  as  to  excite  the 
displeasure  of  all  who  surrounded  him. 

His  mother,  the  aged  Eleanora,  was  then  residing  at  the 
Castle  of  Mirabel  in  Poitou,  and  was  the  ruler  of  Aqui- 
taine.  Quite  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  her  residence  was 
besieged  by  Hugh  de  Lusignan,  whose  plan  was  to  capture 
the  old  lady  and  exchange  her  only  for  his  lost  love. 

But  Eleanora  held  out  heroically  until  the  arrival  of  her 
son  John,  whom  she  had  summoned  at  the  first  signal  of 
danger. 

King  John's  enemies  had  reckoned  on  his  character  a? 
a  sluggard,  but  they  found  their  mistake,  for  when  he 
heard  of  the  attack  on  his  mother  he  hastened  to  Mirabel 
with  lightning  speed,  hemmed  in  Count  Hugh  and  Duke 
Arthur  of  Bretagne,  who  had  joined  him,  and  took  both 
prisoners.  The  one  was  his  rival  in  love,  the  other  in  em- 
pire. 

Count  Hugh  was  subjected  to  the  most  insulting  treat- 
ment at  the  hands  of  the  king,  who  had  him  and  the  other 
insurgent  barons  of  Poitou  chained  hand  and  foot  to  carts 
drawn  by  oxen.  In  this  manner  they  were  forced  to 
follow  him  wherever  he  went,  until  he  made  them  embark 
with  him  for  England. 

King  John  was  not  so  cruel  to  his  nephew,  Arthur, 
whom  he  merely  had  locked  up  in  the  citadel  of  Falaise, 


ISABBLLA  OF   ANGOULEMB 


I2II.  Isabella  of  Angoulime.  127 

leaving  himself  the  sole  representative  of  the  house  of 
Plantagenet. 

[A.D.  1204.]  In  1204  Queen  Eleanora  died,  and  from 
that  moment  her  son  John  seemed  lost  to  all  sense  of  de- 
cency or  fear,  and  became  more  corrupt  and  wicked  than 
the  most  brutal  of  his  subjects.  Queen  Isabella's  influ- 
ence was  no  check  on  his  notorious  conduct. 

In  1206  he  entered  into  a  treaty  with  his  prisoner, 
Hugh  de  Lusignan,  with  whose  aid  he  conquered  the 
southern  part  of  France. 

On  his  return  to  England  he  made  some  most  unrea- 
sonable demands  of  his  barons,  one  of  them  being  the 
surrender  of  their  children  as  hostages.  Those  young  no- 
bles who  fell  into  his  hands  were  required  to  attend  the 
queen,  ser\'e  her  at  meals  and  follow  her  at  cavalcades  and 
processions.  The  Lord  of  Bramber  resisted  the  King's 
demand,  whereupon  he,  with  his  wife  and  five  children, 
were  all  shut  up  in  a  room  at  the  old  Castle  of  Windsor 
and  deliberately  starved  to  death. 

[A.D.  12 1 1.]  Queen  Isabella  had  given  birth  to  several 
children,  but  that  did  not  prevent  her  brutal  husband  from 
treating  her  with  extreme  harshness.  Once,  when  he  fan- 
cied that  she  had  a  fancy  for  a  certain  knight,  he  had  the 
man  assassinated,  and  his  dead  body  suspended  over  her 
bed.  Then  he  shut  her  up  in  Gloucester  Abbey,  where  she 
remained  until  12 13,  when  it  suited  his  majesty  to  take  her 
with  him  to  Angouleme. 

King  John  found  himself  again  in  need  of  Hugh  de 
Lusignan's  ^sistance  when  Philip  Augustus  of  France 
seized  the  northern  provinces.  But  that  brave  count 
refused  his  aid  unless  the  king  would  ^ve  him  his 
eldest  daughter,  Joanna,  for  a  wife.  This  was  a  singular 
request,  considering  that  he  had  once  been  engaged  to  the 
mother,  but  he  was  gratified,  and  the  infant  princess  was 


128 


The  Queens  of  England. 


forthwith  handed  over  to  him  to  be  brought  up  in  one  of 
his  castles  as  her  mother  had  been  before  her.  Count 
Hugh  soon  cleared  the  northern  provinces  of  France  of  the 
invaders,  and  then  John  returned  to  England  to  perpetrate 
new  acts  of  tyranny. 

[A.D.  1 2 15.]     After  the  signing  of  the  Magna  Charta, 
which  granted  certain  privileges  to  all  his  subjects,  King 


THE   CRYPT    IN   OLD    WINDSOR. 


John  behaved  like  a  madman,  giving  way  to  outbursts  of 
fury,  cursing  the  hour  of  his  birth,  and  biting  and  gnawing 
sticks  and  clubs  until  he  reduced  them  to  small  bits.  The 
result  of  several  sleepless  nights  at  the  fortress  of  Windsor, 
the  scene  of  many  secret  murders,  was  an  ex|5Rlition  to  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  where,  after  idly  sauntering  on  the  beach  for 
days  at  a  time  and  conversing  with  the  fishermen,  he 
joined  a  band  of  pirates  with  whom  he  made  attacks  on 
his  own  subjects.     He  was  gone  so  long  that  everybody 


JOHN'S   ANGER   AFTER   SIGNING   MAGNA   CHARTA. 


I2I5.  Isabella  of  Angoulhne.  131 

hoped  he  would,  never  return,  but,  like  a  bad  penny, 
he  turned  up  at  the  end  of  a  few  weeks,  when  he  was 
joined  by  troops  from  Brabant  and  Guienne,  whom  he  had 
summoned  to  aid  him  in  revenging  himself  on  the  rebel- 
lious barons.  This  he  did  by  travelling  around  among 
them,  obliging  them  to  entertain  him,  and-  then  turning 
upon  them  and  doing  some  damage  to  their  lives  or  prop- 
erty. It  was  not  uncommon  for  him  to  set  fire  to  a  house 
in  which  he  had  been  sheltered  over  night. 

In  the  midst  of  this  diabolical  career,  Queen  Isabella  met 
her  husband  at  Marlborough,  and  after  spending  a  few 
weeks  with  him,  retired  to  Gloucester  with  her  children. 

While  she  was  there,  Prince  Louis  of  France  made  an 
invasion  into  England,  prompted  to  the  act  by  the  barons, 
who  were  so  incensed  against  their  sovereign  that  they 
offered  him  the  crown  if  he  would  come  to  their  aid. 

Then  the  tormentor  tried  to  escape  towards  the  north, 
but  when  he  thought  to  cross  the  Wash  to  Lincolnshire, 
part  of  his  army,  his  baggage,  and  his  splendid  regalia  were 
lost,  and  he  barely  escaped  with  his  life.  He  arrived  at 
Swinshead  Abbey  ill  and  in  a  horrible  temper. 

With  his  usual  brutality,  he  gave  vent  to  his  spleen  by 
saying,  while  eating  in  the  abbot's  refectory,  "  that  he  hoped 
to  make  the  half-penny  loaf  cost  a  shilling  before  the  year 
was  over." 

This  malicious  speech  was  heard  by  several  monks,  who, 
thinking  that  John's  outrages  had  extended  far  enough, 
treated  him  to  a  dose  of  poison  served  in  a  dish  of  stewed 
pears.  Ill  as  he  was  from  the  effect  of  the  poison,  the 
king  insisted  on  proceeding  on  his  journey,  and  was  there- 
fore carried  on  a  litter  to  Newark,  where  he  summoned 
several  monks  for  the  purpose  of  confession.  It  was  no 
trifling  matter  for  this  sinful  man  to  recount  all  the  wrongs 
of  which  he  had  been  guilty,  but  having  accomplished  it, 


132 


The  Queens  of  England. 


he  forgave  his  enemies  and  made  all  the  officers  about  him 
swear  fealty  to  his  eldest  son,  Henry.  Then  he  expired, 
having  left  directions  for  his  burial.     As  soon  as  the  news 


MAGNA   CHARTA    ISLAND. 


of  the  king's  death  reached  her,  Isabella  caused  Prince 
Henry  to  be  proclaimed  in  the  streets  of  Gloucester,  and 
nine  days  later  she  assisted  at  his  coronation  in  the  cathe- 
dral of  that  place. 


CHOIR   OF   GLOUCESTER  CATJJEURAL. 


I2I7-  Isabella  of  Atigoulime.  I35 

[A.D.  1 2 17.]  Although  the  young  king  was  only  nine 
years  old,  his  mother  was  so  unpopular  that  she  was  not 
asked  to  act  as  regent,  and  before  the  year  of  her  widow- 
hood had  expired,  she  retired  to  her  native  city  of  An- 
goul^me. 

The  Princess  Joanna,  then  just  seven  years  of  age,  was 
still  at  Count  Lusignan's  castle  at  Valence,  but  the  count 
himself  was  absent  on  a  crusade. 

In  the  year  1220  he  returned,  and  frequently  met  the 
mother  of  his  little  promised  bride.  The  consequence  was, 
that  his  early  love  was  renewed,  and  as  Isabella  was  still  a 
very  handsome  woman,  only  a  few  years  younger  than  him- 
self, she  was  a  much  more  appropriate  mate  for  him  than 
Joanna  could  have  been. 

So  they  were  married  without  asking  the  advice  or  con- 
sent of  any  one  in  England ;  consequently  Isabella's  dower 
was  withheld  from  her,  much  to  the  indignation  of  her 
husband. 

Now,  it  so  happened  that  Henry  III.  was  at  war  with 
the  King  of  Scotland,  whom  his  council  were  anxious  to 
conciliate.  They  therefore  resolved  to  offer  the  king  the 
hand  of  the  little  Princess  Joanna  in  marriage,  so  when 
Henry  wrote  his  mother  a  congratulatory  letter  on  her 
nuptials,  he  demanded,  at  the  same  time,  the  restoration  of 
his  sister.  Isabella  refused  to  give  up  the  princess,  because 
she  was  highly  displeased  at  being  deprived  of  her  jointure. 

Thereupon  the  young  king  applied  to  the  pope,  who  took 
great  pains  to  inquire  into  the  merits  of  the  case.  A  vo- 
luminous correspondence  was  carried  on  between  the  con- 
tending parties.  The  King  of  Scots  insisted  upon  his 
marriage  with  Joanna  before  he  would  come  to  terms ;  the 
result  was  the  payment  of  all  the  money  due  to  Queen 
Isabella  in  exchange  for  her  daughter. 

The  King  of  France  was  the  liege-lord  of  the  Count  de 


1 36  The  Queens  of  England. 

Lusignan,  and  it  was  so  hurtful  to  the  pride  of  Isabella  tc 
see  her  husband  kneel  at  the  feet  of  any  man,  that  she 
gave  him  no  rest  until  he  joined  her  son,  Henry  III.,  whom 
she  had  instigated  to  undertake  the  conquest  of  Poitou. 

Several  years  of  warfare  ensued,  and  at  last  the  King  of 
England  fled  to  Bordeaux.  De  Lusignan's  possessions 
were  overrun  by  the  enemy,  and  Queen  Isabella  was 
forced,  after  much  suffering,  to  throw  herself  on  the  mercy 
of  the  King  of  France,  Louis  IX. 

She  went  to  his  camp  with  her  husband  and  children, 
and,  falling  at  his  feet,  begged  for  mercy.  He  received 
them  kindly,  and  granted  forgiveness  on  easy  conditions. 

Nevertheless,  so  ungrateful  did  Isabella  show  herself, 
that  when  an  attempt  was  made  on  the  life  of  good  King 
Louis,  in  1244,  it  was  proved  that  she  had  bribed  people  to 
poison  him.  She  flew  to  the  Abbey  of  Fontevraud  for 
protection,  and  there  hid  herself  from  the  French,  who  held 
ner  responsible  for  so  much  sorrow  and  bloodshed  that 
they  gave  her  the  name  of  Jezebel. 

She  died  in  1246,  and  was  buried  in  the  common  ceme- 
tery of  Fontevraud.  Some  years  later  her  son,  Henry  III., 
raised  a  stately  monument  over  her  grave. 

De  Lusignan  joined  a  crusade  after  the  death  of  his 
wife,  and  was  killed  at  one  of  the  battles  in  1249.  ^is 
eldest  son  was  known  as  Hugh  XI.,  Count  de  la  Marche 
and  Angouleme.  His  other  children  were  liberally  pro- 
vided for  by  Henry  III.,  much  to  the  indignation  of  his 
English  subjects. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

ELEANOR   OF  PROVENCE,  QUEEN  OF   HENRY  III. 
(A.D.  1222-1291.) 

Eleanor  of  Provence  was  married  when  she  was  only 
fourteen  years  old,  and  became  the  most  unpopular  queen 
that  ever  reigned  over  the  English  court.  She  was  so 
beautiful  as  to  be  called  La  Belle,  but  her  judgment  was 
too  immature  tor  her  to  stand  all  the  adulation  she 
received   without   being   spoiled   by   it. 

Before  she  entered  her  teens,  Eleanor  had  written  a 
poem  in  the  Provengal  dialect,  which  is  remembered  in  her 
native  country  .to  this  day.  Born  in  that  land  of  poetry 
and  song,  of  parents  who  were  both  popular  poets  among 
the  troubadors,  young  Eleanor's  talent  was  fostered  and 
encouraged  by  the  very  air  she  breathed. 

It  was  this  talent  that  was  the  means  of  placing  her  on 
the  throne,  for  she  wrote  a  romance  in  verse,  selecting 
Richard,  Earl  of  Cornwall,  who  was  then  preparing  a 
crusade,  for  her  hero.  Romeo,  her  tutor,  and  one  of  the 
greatest  Italian  poets  of  his  day,  was  so  proud  of  his 
pupil,  that  he  carried  the  composition  to  Richard,  who  was 
immensely  flattered  by  it.  But  he  could  not,  in  return  for 
the  compliment,  offer  his  hand  and  heart  to  La  Belle 
Eleanor  because  he  was  already  provided  with  one  wife ; 
therefore  he  did  the  next  best  thing  —  recommended  her 
to  his  brother,  Henry  III. 

So  delighted  was  this  king  with  the  accounts  he  received 
of  the  beauty  and  genius  of  the  maid  of  Provence,  that 
137 


138  The  Queens  of  England. 

he  put  a  stop  to  the  treaty  under  way  for  the  hand  of 
Joanna,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  and  forthwith 
despatched  ambassadors  to  the  court  of  Count  Berenger 
to  demand  his  daughter  Eleanor  in  marriage.  With  the 
covetousness  for  which  he  was  noted,  he  added  a  dower 
of  twenty  thousand  marks  to  his  demand. 

The  court  objected  to  so  large  a  sum.  Henry  lowered 
it,  but  even  then  the  father  would  not  agree,  and  so  much 
bargaining  was  the  result  that  the  high-spirited  court  was 
on  the  point  of  putting  an  end  to  the  affair  altogether, 
when  a  peremptory  order  came  from  the  king  to  conclude 
the  marriage  at  once,  with  or  without  money.  Then  the 
contract  was  signed  and  the  maiden  was  delivered  with 
due  solemnity  to  the  ambassadors. 

When  she  commenced  her  journey  to  England,  the  royal 
bride  was  attended  by  a  train  of  knights,  ladies  and 
minstrels  who  accompanied  her  to  the  French  frontier. 
There  she  was  met  by  her  eldest  sister,  the  wife  of  King 
Louis,  and  after  receiving  the  congratulations  of  her  rela- 
tives, she  embarked  for  Dover  and  landed  there  January 
4,  1236. 

[A.D.  1236.]  She  was  married  at  Canterbury,  where 
King  Henry  had  received  her  with  a  splendid  train  of 
followers,  and  after  the  ceremony  the  royal  couple  pro- 
ceeded to  London,  where  preparations  on  a  very  grand 
scale  had  been  made  for  the  reception  and  coronation  of 
the  new  queen. 

Her  apartments  at  Westminster  Palace  had  been  newly 
decorated  and  furnished  by  order  of  the  king,  and  all  the 
streets  of  London  had  been  thoroughly  cleansed. 

The  20th  of  January  was  appointed  for  the  coronation, 
and  on  the  previous  Saturday,  Henry  laid  the  first  stone 
of  the  Lady  Chapel  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

The  streets  through  which  the  procession  passed  were 


£L£ANOR  OF  fROVfiMCB. 


1236.  Eleanor  of  Provence.  14I 

hung  with  flags,  banners  and  garlands  of  flowers,  and  the 
houses  were  gaily  decorated.  Three  hundred  and  sixty 
equestrians,  preceded  by  the  king's  trumpeters,  who 
sounded  as  they  moved  along,  accompanied  the  royal  pair 
from  the  tower.  These  were  loyal  citizens,  who,  mounted 
on  richly  caparisoned  horses  and  clad  in  bright,  embroid- 
ered satin  and  velvet  garments,  each  carried  in  his  hand 
a  gold  or  silver  cup  to  be  used  at  the  banquet.  They 
were  called  cellarers,  and  it  was  their  duty  to  hand  wine  to 
the  royal  butler,  who  passed  it  to  the  sovereigns.  After 
the  banquet,  the  butler  always  claimed  the  cup  out  of 
which  the  king  had  drank,  the  curtain  that  hung  behind 
the  royal  table  became  the  property  of  the  doorkeepers, 
other  perquisites  being  divided  among  the  cooks  and 
scullions.  King  Henry  was  very  charitable  and  did  not 
forget  the  poor,  among  whom  a  liberal  supply  of  money 
was  distributed  by  his  orders. 

At  this  coronation  were  worn  the  most  splendid  gar- 
ments ever  seen  in  England.  They  were  made  of  the 
costliest  satin  and  velvet,  richly  embroidered  in  gold  and 
silver,  and  the  ladies  wor€  head-dresses  composed  of  rare 
and  precious  gems.  The  queen's  crown  was  worth  ;{J^i5oo, 
and  her  girdle  was  studded  with  jewels   of  great   value. 

The  king,  who  had  a  taste  for  finery  not  often  seen  in 
men,  wore  a  garment  of  gold  tissue  that  glittered  with 
every  motion. 

The  expenses  of  Eleanor's  coronation  were  so  enormous 
that  the  king  had  to  petition  the  Lords  for  money.  They 
refused,  saying,  "  that  they  had  amply  supplied  funds  both 
for  his  marriage  and  that  of  his  sister  Isabella,  who  had 
just  been  united  to  the  Emperor  of  Germany ;  and  as  he 
had  wasted  the  money  he  might  defray  the  expenses  of  his 
wedding  as  best  he  could." 

Great  dissatisfaction  was  felt  in  England  oii  account  of 


142  The  Queens  of  England. 

the  number  of  foreigners  who  had  accompanied  Queen 
Eleanor.  Among  these  was  her  uncle,  Peter  of  Savoy, 
who  by  the  end  of  a  year  had  gained  such  complete  con- 
trol over  Henry  that  all  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  were 
submitted  to  him. 

Throughout  his  reign,  Henry  HI.  too  frequently  made 
demands  on  the  purses  of  his  subjects,  to  supply  his  un- 
bounded extravagance,  and  Queen  Eleanor  was  no  check 
to  him  in  this  respect.  Their  tastes  were  similar,  and 
Henry  had  in  his  wife  a  congenial  companion,  interested,  as 
he  was,  in  literature  and  art.  Her  influence  over  him  was 
unbounded,  and  he  was  never  known  to  refuse  any  de- 
mand she  made,  no  matter  how  unreasonable  it  was. 

Their  first  child  was  born  at  Westminster  in  1239,  and 
received  the  name  of  Edward,  in  honor  of  Edward  the 
Confessor. 

An  attempt  was  made  on  the  king's  life  one  night  by  a 
crazy  man  named  Ribald,  who  concealed  himself  in  the 
palace  during  the  day  and  stole  into  the  king's  bed-cham- 
ber at  midnight.  Fortunately  Henry  spent  the  night  in 
another  apartment,  otherwise  the  score  of  stabs  that  the 
madman  inflicted  on  the  bolster  would  certainly  have  put 
an  end  to  his  majesty.  The  shrieks  of  one  of  the  queen's 
maids  of  honor,  who  heard  the  would-be  murderer  shouting 
horrible  threats  with  each  thrust  of  his  dagger,  aroused  the 
household,  and  the  wretch  was  taken  into  custody. 

[A.D.  1241.]  In  1241,  a  year  after  the  birth  of  her 
daughter  Margaret,  Queen  Eleanor  accompanied  her  hus- 
band to  France,  on  an  expedition  against  their  brother- 
in-law.  King  Louis.  After  a  series  of  defeats,  they  took 
refuge  in  Bordeaux,  where  many  of  Henry's  knights  and 
nobles  forsook  him  and  returned  to  England.  He  revenged 
himself  by  imposing  upon  them  heavy  fines,  —  his  favorite 
mode  of  punishment. 


ANGEL   TOWER   AND    CHAPTER   HOUSE,   CANTERBURY. 


1243-  Eleanor  of  Provence.  145 

Henry  and  Eleanor  spent  a  merry  winter  at  Bordeaux, 
amusing  themselves  with  feasts  and  pageants  that  they 
could  ill  afford,  and  on  their  return  to  England,  in  1243, 
Henry  issued  an  order  compelling  the  principal  inhabitants 
of  every  town  on  the  route  to  appear  on  horseback  to  give 
them  welcome. 

[A.D.  1243.]  The  marriage  of  the  queen's  youngest 
sister,  to  the  king's  brother  Richard,  Earl  of  Cornwall, 
who  had  become  a  widower,  was  solemnized  in  England 
the  following  autumn.  On  that  occasion  Henry  called 
upon  his  Jewish  subjects. to  furnish  funds  for  the  sumptu- 
ous festivities  that  he  saw  fit  to  give,  and  he  spared  no 
expense,  for  the  wedding-dinner  alone  consisted  of  thirty 
thousand  dishes. 

But  he  remembered  the  poor  as  usual,  and  ordered  all 
the  children  from  the  streets  and  highways  of  Windsor  and 
its  neighborhood  to  be  collected  together  and  feasted  in 
the  great  hall  of  the  palace,  after  which  the  royal  children 
—  of  whom  there  were  then  three  —  were  weighed,  and 
silver  coin  placed  in  the  balance  was  distributed  among 
the  destitute  individuals  present. 

The  following  year  the  threatened  war  between  England 
and  Scotland  was  averted  by  a  contract  of  marriage 
between  the  infant  Princess  Margaret  of  England  and  the 
heir  of  Scotland. 

England  was  in  such  a  dreadful  state  of  misrule  at  this 
time  that  no  traveller  was  safe  from  plunder ;  and  in  some 
counties  no  jury  dared  to  punish  the  plunderer.  Henry 
himself  sat  on  the  bench  of  justice  and  tried  many  cases. 
Once  he  summoned  Lord  Clifford  for  some  offence,  but 
the  gentleman  not  only  refused  to  answer,  but  forced  the 
king's  officers  to  eat  the  royal  warrant,  seal  and  all.  He 
was  severely  punished. 

One  great  cause  of  Eleanor's  unpopularity  was  the  means 


146  The  Queens  of  England. 

she  employed  for  extorting  money  from  her  subjects.  She 
compelled  vessels  carrying  valuable  cargoes  to  unload 
at  her  quay,  no  matter  how  inconvenient  it  might  be,  in 
order  that  she  might  receive  the  toll.  When  the  royal 
funds  were  almost  exhausted,  the  king  and  queen,  with 
their  son,  Prince  Edward,  daily  invited  themselves  to  dine 
with  the  different  rich  men  of  London  in  turn,  to  save  the 
expense  of  keeping  up  a  table  of  their  own.  They  added 
to  this  economical  mode  of  living  by  insisting  on  costly 
presents  from  their  entertainers  as  a  proof  of  loyalty. 

[A.D.  125 1.]  The  year  125 1  closed  with  the  marriage  of 
the  Princess  Margaret  and  Alexander  III.  of  Scotland, 
whose  engagement  had  been  signed  seven  years  before. 
As  the  bride  was  just  ten  years  of  age,  and  the  groom 
twelve,  they  probably  had  not  much  choice  in  this 
matter. 

On  the  morning  preceding  the  ceremony,  the  youthful 
groom  was  knighted  at  York  Cathedral.  The  wedding 
feast  was  served  by  the  archbishop  at  a  cost  of  four  thous- 
and marlcs ;  and  he  supplied  six  hundred  oxen,  that  were 
all  consumed  at  one  meal.  The  costumes  worn  by  the 
nobility  were,  as  when  Eleanor,  her  mother,  was  married, 
of  the  most  extravagant  material,  scolloped,  embroidered 
and  ornamented  with  costly  jewels.  The  queen  and  her 
ladies  wore  robes  that  trailed  on  the  ground,  but,  as  they 
were  the  same  length  all  around,  they  had  to  be  held  up 
to  enable  the  wearers  to  walk.  The  height  at  which  they 
were  raised  depended  upon  the  beauty  or  ugliness  of  the 
feet  and  ankles,  no  doubt.  During  this  reign  the  hair  was 
.  gathered  under  a  network  of  gold,  over  which  was  usually 
thrown  a  gauze  veil.  Unmarried  ladies  wore  ringlets,  or 
long  braids  hanging  down  the  back  and  fastened  with 
ribbons.  A  head-dress  made  in  the  shape  of  a  knight's 
helmet,  with  an  aperture  for  the  face  to  peep  through,  was 


CHAPTER   HOUSE,  YORK. 


1 25 1.  Eleanor  of  Provence,  1 49 

worn  by  ladies,  old  and  young,  in  the  street,  and  must  have 
been  very  becoming. 

After  Margaret's  marriage,  the  king  became  even  more 
extortionate  in  his  demands  for  money  than  ever,  and  thus 
made  a  host  of  enemies.  He  applied  for  funds  for  a 
crusade,  but  was  refused,  and  shortly  after  he  was  called 
upon  to  quell  an  insurrection  at  Guienne.  This  was  the 
result  of  the  recall  of  the  Earl  of  Leicester,  who  had  been 
governor  there. 

The  earl  had  been  replaced  by  Prince  Edward,  who  was 
only  fourteen,  and  therefore  incapable  of  managing  public 
affairs.  Before  his  departure.  King  Henry  appointed 
Eleanor  regent  of  England,  but  requested  her  to  advise 
with  his  brother  Richard,  Earl  of  Cornwall,  on  matters  of 
importance. 

He  sailed  from  Portsmouth  August  6,  and  arrived  at 
Bordeaux  on  the  15  th  of  the  same  month. 

Queen  Eleanor's  first  act,  on  finding  herself  in  power, 
was  to  tax  the  London  citizens  more  heavily  than  her  hus- 
band had  ever  done,  and  those  who  refused  her  unjust 
claims  were  sent  to  the  Marshalsea  Prison.  This  conduct 
aroused  universal  indignation,  and  the  following  year,  when 
parliament  was  summoned  for  the  purpose  of  demanding 
aid  to  carry  on  the  war  in  Gascony,  they  peremptorily 
declined  to  give  it. 

Every  other  means  having  failed,  Henry  instructed  his 
brother  to  extort  money  from  the  Jews,  and  no  sooner  did 
he  get  it  than  he  sent  for  Eleanor  to  help  him  to  squander 
it  on  the  nuptials  of  Princess  Eleanor  of  Castile  with  their 
eldest  son,  Prince  Edward.  Queen  Eleanor  willingly  re- 
signed the  cares  of  government  to  the  Earl  of  Cornwall, 
and  with  his  wife.  Prince  Edmund,  her  second  son,  and  a 
retinue  of  knights  and  ladies,  sailed  for  Bordeaux,  where 
she  was  warmly  welcomed  by  her  husband. 


1 50  The  Queens  of  England. 

[A.D.  1255.]  After  Prince  Edward's  marriage,  his 
parents  went  to  pass  a  fortnight  at  the  court  of  King 
Louis.  The  day  after  their  arrival,  King  Henr}'  distributed 
so  much  money  among  the  poor  of  Paris  and  gave  such  a 
grand  entertainment  to  the  crowned  heads  assembled  to 
meet  him,  that  it  was  called  the  Feast  of  Kings. 

On  their  return  home,  which  occurred  January  27, 
1255,  the  king  and  queen  made  a  public  entry  into  the  city 
of  London,  and  received  a  present  of  a  hundred  pounds 
and  a  valuable  piece  of  plate  from  the  citizens. 

Shortly  after,  the  royal  couple  were  made  extremely 
anxious  by  a  report  that  the  young  king  and  queen  of 
Scots  were  deprived  of  their  rights  and  kept  in  close  con- 
finement by  the  regents.  Sir  John  Baliol  and  Comyns. 
The  queen's  physician  was  immediately  despatched  to  Scot- 
land to  ascertain  the  facts.  He  managed  to  obtain  a  secret 
interview  with  Margaret,  who  gave  a  lamentable  account  of 
her  treatment.  She  said, "  that  she  had  been  rudely  torn  from 
her  husband  and  shut  up  in  a  dismal  place,  the  dampness  of 
which  had  seriously  injured  her  health,  and,  so  far  from 
having  any  share  in  the  government,  she  and  he  were 
treated  with  disrespect  and  were  in  danger  of  their  lives." 

Queen  Eleanor  was  so  distressed  at  the  condition  of  her 
child,  that  she  accompanied  the  king  on  a  northern  cam- 
paign, constantly  urging  him  to  do  something  to  aid  her. 
The  Earl  of  Gloucester  was  sent  to  Scotland  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  with  John  Mansel  gained  admittance  to  Edin- 
burgh castle,  by  disguising  themselves  in  the  dress  of 
Baliol's  tenants.  Then,  secretly  admitting  their  followers, 
they  surprised  the  garrison,  restored  the  young  king  and 
queen  to  each  other's  society  and  carried  their  cruel 
jailers,  Baliol  and  Ross,  before  King  Henry  at  Alnwick. 
Throwing  themselves  at  the  feet  of  the  sovereign,  the  trai- 
tors implored  for  mercy  and  were  forgiven,  but  as  Baliol 


1255- 


Eleanor  of  Provence. 


153 


was  Henry's  own  subject  he  had  to  pay  a  heavy  fine,  which 
his  majesty  pocketed  for  his  own  private  wants. 

Queen  Eleanor  was  lying  ill  at  Wark  Castle,  and  re- 
quested her  daughter  Margaret,  with  the  young  king  of 
Scotland,  to  join  her  without  delay.  They  obeyed,  and  as 
soon  as  the  royal  mother  was  convalescent,  accompanied 


GATEWAY  AND  KEEP,  ALNWICK. 

her  to  Woodstock,  where  King  Henry  joined  them.  The 
court  was  kept  with  extraordinary  splendor  at  that  beauti- 
ful palace,  which  contained  three  kings  and  three  queens, 
with  their  retinues,  during  the  winter  of  1255,  for  besides 
the  English  and  the  Scottish  royal  couples,  there  was 
Richard,  Earl  of  Cornwall,  who  had  been  elected  King  of 
the  Romans,  and  his  second  wife,  Queen  Eleanor's  sister. 

They  all  made  a  public  entry  into  London  in  February, 
wearing  their  crowns  and  royal  robes,  and  the  entire  popu- 


154  '^^^'^  Queens  of  England. 

lace  assembled  to  witness  the  splendid  procession.  After 
the  departure  of  the  royal  visitors,  there  was  a  season  of 
misery  and  gloom  caused  by  a  dreadful  famine,  and  by  the 
drain  that  had  been  made  on  the  public  treasury  by  the 
King  and  Queen  of  the  Romans,  who,  on  departing  for  Aix- 
la-Chapelle,  where  they  were  to  be  crowned,  carried  with 
them  seven  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling.  Added  to 
this  were  the  battles  of  the  barons,  to  whom  both  Henry 
and  Eleanor  had  made  themselves  obnoxious  by  frequent 
acts  of  selfishness  and  injustice,  and  finally  the  shameful 
attack  upon  the  Jews,  whose  wealth  had  excited  the  envy  of 
the  nation. 

The  mob  was  led  on  by  the  Marshal  of  London  and 
John  Fitz-John,  a  powerful  baron,  killing  and  plundering 
without  mercy,  men,  women  and  children  of  that  noble 
race,  and  driving  hundreds  from  their  beds  into  the  street 
half  clad  as  they  were.  The  next  morning  they  began 
again  with  such  demoniacal  yells  that  the  queen,  who  was 
at  the  Tower,  was  so  terrified  that  she  got  into  her  barge 
with  several  of  her  ladies,  intending  to  escape  to  Windsor 
Castle.  But  as  soon  as  the  populace  observed  the  royal 
barge,  they  made  a  rush  for  the  bridge,  crying :  *'  Drown 
the  witch !  —  drown  the  witch  !  "  at  the  same  pelting  the 
queen  with  mud  and  trying  to  sink  the  vessel  by  hurling 
down  huge  blocks  of  wood  and  stone  that  they  tore 
from  the  unfinished  bridge.  There  was  nothing  for 
Eleanor  to  do  but  to  hasten  back  to  the  Tower,  where  she 
remained  until  nightfall,  then  sought  shelter  in  the  Bishop 
of  London's  palace  at  St.  Paul's,  whence  she  was  privately 
removed  to  Windsor  Castle,  where  Prince  Edward  was 
garrisoned  with  his  troops. 

[A.D.  1264.]  While  the  civil  war  continued  King  Henry 
took  the  queen  and  her  children  to  France,  where  she  re- 
mained under  the  care  of  King  Louis  and  her  sister  Mar- 
garet 


KING    HENRY   AND   HIS   BARONS. 


1 264.  Eleanor  of  Provence.  157 

At  the  battle  of  Lewes,  the  king  and  Prince  Edward 
were  captured  and  locked  up  in  the  Castle  of  Wallingford. 
As  soon  as  Eleanor  heard  their  sad  fate  she  sent  word  to 
Sir  Warren  de  Basingbourne,  her  son's  favorite  knight,  that 
Wallingford  was  feebly  guarded  and  could  not  resist  an 
attack.  Sir  Warren  lost  no  time  in  crossing  the  country 
with  three  hundred  horsemen,  and  laid  siege  to  the  castle, 
which,  contrary  to  his  expectation,  was  warmly  defended. 
At  last  the  besiegers  called  out  to  Sir  Warren  that  "if 
they  wanted  Prince  Edward,  they  should  have  him  bound 
hand  and  foot,  and  shot  from  the  mangonel "  —  a  war 
engine  used  for  throwing  stones.  On  hearing  this,  the 
prince  begged  leave  to  speak  with  his  friends,  and  appear- 
ing on  the  wall  "  assured  them  that  if  they  persevered  in 
the  siege,  he  should  be  destroyed."  Thereupon  Sir  War- 
ren and  his  chevaliers  withdrew. 

The  royal  prisoners  were  afterwards  removed  to  Kenil- 
worth  Castle,  and  Lady  Maud  Mortimer,  who  was  warmly 
attached  to  the  queen,  helped  Prince  Edward  to  escape. 
Having  sent  him  the  necessary  instructions,  she  had  a 
swift  horse  concealed  in  a  thicket  on  a  certain  day  when  it 
was  planned  that  he  was  to  ride  races  with  his  attendants. 
When  all  the  horses  were  tired  out,  he  approached  the  spot 
where  Lady  Maud's  fresh  one  awaited  him,  and  after 
mounting,  he  turned  to  his  guard  and  said :  "  Commend 
me  to  my  sire,  the  king,  and  tell  him  I  shall  soon  be  at 
liberty."  He  then  galloped  off  to  a  hill,  about  a  mile 
distant,  where  a  band  of  armed  knights  awaited  him. 

Although  the  queen  was  living  in  France  at  this  time, 
she  made  several  secret  visits  to  England,  to  ascertain  the 
true  state  of  affairs  there.  After  her  husband's  dreadful 
defeat  at  Lewes,  she  pawned  all  her  jewels,  and,  with  the 
money  thus  raised,  collected  a  powerful  army  that  might 
have  subdued  the  whole  kingdom  if  they  had  ever  reached 


158  TJie  Queens  of  England 

it.  But  the  Almighty  mercifully  ordained  otherwise,  and 
before  Queen  Eleanor,  with  her  foreign  troops,  set  sail, 
the  battle  of  Evesham  was  fought  and  won  by  Prince 
Edward. 

[A.D.  1265.]  At  this  battle  King  Henry  was  wounded 
in  the  shoulder  and  would  have  been  cut  down  by  one  of 
his  own  soldiers,  who  mistook  him  for  an  enemy,  had  be 
not  cried  out  in  a  feeble  voice  :  "  Slay  me  not,  I  am  Henry 
of  Winchester,  your  king," 

An  officer  who  happened  to  be  within  hearing,  conducted 
him  to  Prince  Edward,  and  thus  the  royal  father  and  son 
met  once  more.  After  tenderly  embracing  his  sire,  the 
prince  knelt  to  receive  his  blessing. 

A  succession  of  victories  for  Edward  soon  put  an  end  to 
the  barons'  wars  and  reinstated  the  royal  family  of 
England.  It  is  much  to  the  credit  of  King  Henry,  that 
after  he  was  restored  to  power,  not  one  of  his  enemies  Ix^as 
brought  to  the  scaffold.  But  he  punished  them  with  such 
heavy  fines  that  many  of  the  rebel  barons  were  reduced  to 
penury. 

[A.D.  1269.]  Henry  HI.  lived  to  witness  the  comple- 
tion of  St.  Edward's  chapel  at  Westminster,  which  he  had 
begun  fifty  years  before.  On  St.  Edward's  day,  October  13, 
1269,  assisted  by  his  two  sons  and  his  brother,  the  King 
of  the  Romans,  he  bore  the  bier  of  Edward  the  Confessor 
to  the  chapel  and  deposited  it  in  the  new  receptacle. 
This  ceremony  was  witnessed  by  the  whole  court,  and 
Queen  Eleanor  offered  at  the  shrine  a  silver  image  of  the 
Virgin,  besides  jewels  of  great  value.  King  Henry 
reserved  the  old  coffin  of  the  saint  for  his  own  use,  and 
was  placed  in  it  just  three  years  later,  having  expired  on 
the  1 6th  of  November,  1272. 

He  was  buried  at  Westminster  Abbey,  near  the  shrine 
of  Edward  the  Confessor.     His  funeral  was  conducted  with 


I29I- 


Eleanor  of  Provence. 


159 


great  magnificence  by  the  Knights  Templars  —  military 
monks  who,  in  the  middle  ages,  acted  as  bankers  and 
money-brokers  to  all  Europe  —  and  they  raised  a  fine 
monument  to  his  memory,  which  was  afterwards  inlaid  with 
precious  stones  brought  from  the  Holy  Land  for  that  pur- 
pose, by  Edward  I.,  King  Henry's  heir. 

Queen  Margaret,  of  Scotland,  followed  her  royal  father 
to  the  grave  within  the  year,  and  then,  bowed  down  with 
suffering  and  sorrow.  Queen  Eleanor  retired  to  Ambres- 
bury,  where  four  years  later  she  entered  the  convent  and 
took  the  veil. 

[A.D.  1 29 1.]  She  survived  her  husband  nineteen  years, 
and  when  she  died  her  body  was  embalmed  and  placed  in 
a  vault  until  King  Edward,  her  son,  returned  from  his 
campaign  in  Scotland.  Then  he  summoned  all  his  barons 
■  and  clergy  to  Ambresbury,  where  the  funeral  rites  were 
duly  performed  and  his  mother's  body  was  buried.  Her 
heart  was  conveyed  to  London  and  interred  in  a  church. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ELEANORA   OF  CASTILE,  FIRST  QUEEN   OF 
EDWARD    I.    (A.D.  1244-1291). 

Edward  I.  was  only  fifteen  years  old  when  he  accompa- 
nied his  mother  across  the  Pyrenees  from  Bordeaux,  to 
claim  the  hand  of  Eleanora,  sister  to  King  Alphonso  of 
Castile,  to  whom  he  had  been  betrothed  several  months 
before. 

[A.D,  1256.]  The  marriage  was  solemnized  a  few  days 
after  his  arrival,  feasts  and  tournaments  in  honor  of  the 
event  followed,  and  then  the  little  bride  of  ten  years  pro- 
ceeded with  her  lord  to  Paris.  She  was  present  at  the 
feast  of  kings,  given  by  King  Henry  to  celebrate  his 
son's  marriage,  of  which  mention  is  made  in  the  preceding 
reign. 

When  Henry  III.  and  Queen  Eleanor  returned  to 
England,  the  young  couple  went  with  them  and  made  their 
public  entry  into  the  metropolis  in  grand  state. 

Among  the  numerous  entertainments  given  to  welcome 
the  bride,  that  which  took  place  at  the  house  of  John 
Mansel,  the  secretary  of  state,  was  the  most  remarkable. 
All  the  royal  family,  with  their  entire  retinue,  were  present, 
and  as  the  mansion  was  by  no  means  capacious  enough  to 
accommodate  so  large  a  party,  tents  were  erected  on  the 
surrounding  grounds.  Considering  that  seven  hundred 
messes  of  meat  were  served  at  one  meal,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  Mansel's  house  was  too  small. 
160 


ELEANORA  OF   CASTILE. 


1267.  Eleanora  of  Castile.  163 

A  few  months  later,  Prince  Edward  took  his  little  wife 
to  Bordeaux  to  complete  her  education,  which  had  scarcely 
begun  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  While  she  pursued 
her  studies,  the  prince  led  the  life  of  a  knight-errant, 
wandering  from  place  to  place,  and  taking  part  in  various 
tilting  matches  and  tournaments  until  summoned  to 
England  to  take  part  in  the  civil  wars  that  resulted,  after 
several  years,  in  the  complete  restoration  of  Henry  III. 

[A.D.  1265.]  Peace  was  so  far  established  in  1265  as 
to  warrant  the  return  of  Queen  Eleanor,  who  took  her 
daughter-in-law  home  with  her. 

Prince  Edward  met  the  ladies  at  Dover,  and  was  de- 
lighted to  welcome  his  wife,  who  had,  during  her  absence, 
developed  into  a  remarkably  handsome  woman.  She  had 
clear  cut,  delicate  features,  a  fine  figure,  and  magnificent 
black  hair,  peculiar  to  Spanish  ladies. 

The  young  couple  set  up  their  establishment  at  the 
palace  of  Savoy,  built  by  Edward's  uncle,  but  passed  much 
of  their  time  at  Windsor  Castle,  where,  a  year  later,  their 
first  son  was  born.  He  received  the  name  of  John,  aftej 
his  unworthy  grandfather.  In  1267  a  second  son  was  born 
and  named  Henry. 

Prince  Edward  was  too  restless  a  man  and  too  much  of 
a  soldier  to  settle  down  to  a  life  of  luxury  and  ease,  and 
an  escape  from  injury,  or  perhaps  death,  that  he  had  one 
day  when  playing  chess  at  Windsor,  turned  his  thoughts 
towards  a  crusade.  He  had  just  left  the  table,  with  no 
special  purpose,  when  the  centre  stone  of  the  ceiling  fell 
and  crushed  the  chair  he  had  occupied.  This  circumstance 
convinced  him  that  he  was  under  Divine  protection  and 
that  his  life  was  spared  for  some  great  work. 

He  therefore  began  his  preparations  for  a  campaign  in 
Syria  forthwith.  Prince  Edward  was  eminently  fitted  for 
a  crusader,  being  a  powerful  man,  t^U,  well  formed,  re- 


164  The  Queens  of  England. 

markably  agile  in  wielding  his  sword,  and  an  excellent 
horseman. 

His  wife  loved  him  so  fondly  that  she  resolved  to 
accompany  him,  though  it  was  a  sacrifice  to  leave  her  two 
lovely  little  boys.  All  the  hardships  and  dangers  attendant 
upon  a  crusade  were  laid  before  Eleanora  in  graphic 
colors,  but  she  was  willing  to  brave  them  all  rather  than 
let  her  husband  go  without  her.  "  Nothing,"  said  this 
faithful  wife,  "  ought  to  part  those  whom  God  hath  joined, 
and  the  way  to  heaven  is  as  near,  if  not  nearer,  from 
Syria  as  from  England  or  my  native  Spain." 

Before  leaving  England,  Eleanora,  in  company  \vith 
Queen  Eleanor,  visited  the  various  shrines  throughout  the 
kingdom  and  made  offerings,  some  of  them  being  of  great 
value. 

[A.D.  1270.]  In  the  spring  of  1270  the  young  couple 
bade  farewell  to  the  two  sons  they  were  never  to  see 
again,  and  set  sail  for  Bordeaux,  thence  to  Sicily,  where 
they  were  to  be  joined  by  King  Louis  of  France,  with  his 
army. 

But  the  death  of  King  Louis  occurring  at  this  time, 
deprived  Prince  Edward  of  the  aid  he  had  counted  on, 
and  caused  his  detention  for  several  months.  The  King 
of  Sicily  tried  to  persuade  him  to  abandon  the  crusade, 
but  heroically  striking  his  breast  the  prince  exclaimed  :  — 
"  Sang  de  Dieic,  if  all  should  desert  me,  I  would  lay  siege 
to  Acre,  if  only  attended  by  FoweiL  my  groom !  " 

In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1271  Edward  made  two 
successful  campaigns  and  defeated  the  Saracens  with 
great  slaughter.  Returning  to  Cyprus  for  reinforcements, 
he  undertook  the  siege  of  Acre,  and  established  a  reputa- 
tion in  the  Holy  Land,  not  inferior  to  that  of  his  great 
uncle,  Coeur  de  Lion. 

The  Saracen  admiral,  bent  on  revenge,  sent  a  messen- 


1 270.  Eleanora  of  Castile.  167 

ger  several  times  to  the  prince,  with  letters,  in  which  he 
expressed  his  desire  to  become  a  Christian  convert.  He 
was  always  received  in  private,  because  the  admiral's  life 
would  be  in  danger  from  his  own  people  .unless  the  utmost 
secrecy  were  observed.  The  fifth  time  the  ambassador 
presented  himself,  Edward  was  lying  on  a  lounge,  clad  in 
a  loose  garment,  as  the  weather  was  very  warm.  He  was 
soon  absorbed  in  the  letters  that  had  been  written  on  pur- 
pose to  please  him.  Suddenly  the  letter-carrier  drew  forth 
a  poniard  and  aimed  at  the  prince,  who  fortunately  per- 
ceived the  treachery  in  time  to  receive  the  blow  on  his 
arm.  The  man  made  another  attempt,  but  Edward  felled 
him  to  the  ground  with  a  powerful  kick  in  the  breast,  then 
seizing  a  stool,  killed  him  outright.  The  sound  of  the 
scuffle  brought  in  Prince  Edward's  attendants,  one  of 
whom  beat  out  the  brains  of  the  treacherous  messenger. 
"  What  was  the  use  of  striking  a  dead  man  ?  "  asked  the 
prince,  with  stern  reproach. 

A  surgical  operation  became  necessary  before  the 
wounded  arm  could  be  cured,  but  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight 
Edward  was  able  to  mount  his  horse,  the  attention  and 
good  nursing  of  his  wife  having  hastened  his  recovery. 

Eleanora  had  a  little  princess  soon  afterward,  and  called 
her  Joanna  of  Acre,  from  the  place  of  her  birth. 

As  his  army  had  become  much  reduced,  Prince  Edward 
took  leave  of  the  Holy  Land  and  returned  to  Sicily  with  his 
wife  and  infant.  Sad  news  awaited  them,  for  a  messenger 
announced  the  death  of  their  two  little  boys  in  England,  and 
they  had  scarcely  recovered  from  the  shock  when  another 
arrived  to  inform  them  that  Henry  HI.  also  had  died. 

The  firmness  and  resignation  with  which  Edward  had 
borne  the  loss  of  his  sons  now  gave  way  to  an  outburst  of 
grief  that  surprised  every  one,  particularly  as  his  father's 
death  made  him  King  of  England.     When  questioned  on 


1 68  The  Queens  of  England. 

the  subject  Edward  replied  :  "  The  loss  of  infants  may  be 
repaired  by  the  same  God  that  gave  them,  but  when  a  man 
has  lost  a  good  father  it  is  not  in  the  course  of  nature  for 
God  to  send  him  another." 

The  royal  pair  spent  a  year  in  Rome  before  returning 
to  England.  During  their  passage  through  France, 
Edward  took  part  in  several  tournaments,  and  did  not 
land  at  Dover  with  his  wife  until  August  2,  1273. 

[A.D.  1273.]  Preparations  for  their  coronation  were 
speedily  concluded,  and  that  important  ceremony  took 
place  on  the  19th  of  August.  Great  enthusiasm  was 
exhibited  by  the  citizens  of  London,  who  had  enjoyed 
a  season  of  such  prosperity  since  the  establishment  of 
peace  that  they  were  anxious  to  prove  their  loyalty  to  the 
new  king  and  queen  by  lavish  expenditure.  Both  houses 
of  parliament  assembled  to  welcome  their  majesties,  and 
for  two  weeks  after  the  coronation  banquets  were  served 
every  day  in  the  wooden  buildings  that  had  been  erected 
in  the  palace  grounds  for  that  purpose.  The  rich  and  the 
poor,  the  country  yeoman  and  the  Londoner,  were  welcomed 
alike  and  entertained  free  of  charge.  It  was  a  fortnight 
of  universal  rejoicing,  and  the  opening  reign  promised  to 
be  an  exceedingly  popular  one.  But  the  most  remarkable 
feature  of  the  coronation  was  this :  while  the  king  was  at  a 
feast  prepared  in  the  palace  for  the  lords  who  had  attended 
him  during  the  ceremony,  King  Alexander  of  Scotland 
came  to  pay  his  respects,  accompanied  by  a  hundred 
knights.  They  arrived  on  horseback,  and,  as  each  man 
alighted,  his  horse  was  turned  loose  to  become  the  property 
of  any  person,  no  matter  what  his  station,  who  might  be 
lucky  enough  to  capture  him.  Afterwards  came  Edmund, 
the  king's  brother,  the  Earls  of  Pembroke  and  Warren, 
with  their  train  of  knights,  and  the  horses  of  this  whole 
party  were  likewise  turned  loose. 


1283  Eleanora  of  Castile.  169 

Llewellyn,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  did  not  appear  at  the 
coronation,  and  this  displeased  the  king  so  much  that  he 
sent  to  inquire  into  the  cause,  whereupon  the  prince 
replied  that  as  he  had  reconquered  all  the  Welsh  territory 
that  Edward's  Norman  predecessors  had  taken  possession 
of,  he  owed  no  homage  to  the  King  of  England. 

Later,  when  Llewellyn's  bride  was  on  her  way  to  Wales, 
her  vessel  was  captured  by  the  Bristol  merchantmen,  and 
the  damsel  was  taken  prisoner.  King  Edward  treated  her 
with  courtesy,  and  placed  her  in  charge  of  the  queen  at 
Windsor  Castle.  Then  the  prince  submitted  to  the 
required  homage  with  alacrity  and  went  to  Worcester, 
where  the  King  and  Queen  of  England  met  him,  bringing 
his  lady  love  with  them.  The  marriage  ceremony  was 
performed  at  Worcester  Cathedral ;  King  Edward  gave 
the  bride  away,  the  queen  supported  her  at  the  altar,  and 
both  honored  the  marriage  feast  with  their  presence.  A 
year  later  the  young  princess  died,  then  her  husband 
repented  of  his  homage  and  suddenly  invaded  England, 
but  he  was  killed  on  the  battle-field  without  accomplishing 
anything. 

[A.D.  1283.]  Wales  was  in  such  an  unsettled  state  in 
1283  that  King  Edward  found  his  presence  there  very 
necessary.  The  queen  went  with  him  and  established  her 
court  at  Rhuddlan  Castle.  By  that  time  the  royal  couple 
had  several  children,  and  their  sixth  daughter.  Princess 
Isabella,  was  born  soon  after  their  arrival  in  Wales. 

The  following  year  the  queen  removed  to  the  Castle  of 
Caernarv'on,  because  it  was  the  strongest  fortress  in  Wales, 
and  the  king  wanted  to  feel  that  she  was  safe  from  insur- 
gents. There,  in  a  gloomy  little  chamber,  ten  feet  by 
eight,  a  prince  was  born  on  the  25th  of  April,  1284.  The 
room  had  no  fireplace,  but  tapestry  was  hung  on  the  walls 
to  keep  out  draughts.     It  was  Queen  Eleanora  who  first 


1 70  The  Queens  of  England. 

put  tapestry  to  this  use  in  England  in  imitation  of  a 
Moorish  custom  that  she  had  seen  adopted  in  Spain.  A 
Welsh  nurse  was  procured  for  the  infant,  because  the 
queen  knew  that  it  would  please  the  people  to  have  a 
native  woman  in  that  position,  Edward  I.  was  at  Rhud- 
dlan  Castle,  trying  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the 
authorities  of  Wales,  when  a  gentleman  arrived  to  inform 
him  of  the  birth  of  his  son.  He  was  so  delighted  that  he 
knighted  the  man  on  the  spot  and  made  him  a  present  of 
some  lands. 

The  king  then  hastened  to  Caernarvon  to  see  his  wife 
and  baby.  Three  days  later  all  the  chiefs  from  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  North  Wales  met  at  the  castle  to  tender  their 
submission  to  Edward,  and  to  implore  him  to  appoint  them 
a  prince  of  their  own  land,  whose  native  tongue  was 
neither  French  nor  Saxon. 

Edward  assured  them  that  he  would  comply,  whereupon 
they  promised  that  if  his  character  was  free  from  stain, 
they  would  certainly  accept 'him  without  a  murmur.  Then 
the  king  ordered  his  infant  son  to  be  brought  in,  and  pre- 
senting him  to  the  assembly,  said,  "  that  he  was  a  native  of 
their  country,  his  character  was  without  .reproach,  that  he 
could  not  speak  a  word  of  English  or  French,  and 
that  if  they  pleased,  the  first  words  he  uttered  should  be 
Welsh." 

As  there  was  no  alternative,  the  rough  mountaineers 
kissed  the  little  hand  and  swore  fealty  to  Edward  of 
Caernarvon. 

The  queen  soon  removed  to  Conway  Castle,  where  she 
was  surrounded  with  all  the  comforts  and  luxuries  the  age 
afforded.  Under  her  influence  the  Welsh  made  rapid 
strides  towards  civilization,  and  she  felt  happy  to  be 
among  them ;  but  they  had  been  so  barbarous  when  she 
first  went  to  their  country  that  the  king  had  to  threaten  se- 


1 291.  Eleanora  of  Castile.  rvi 

vere  punishment  to  any  one  "who  should  strike  the  queen 
or  snatch  anything  out  of  her  hand." 

[A.D.  1285.]  King  Alexander  of  Scotland  died  in  1285, 
and  his  heiress,  the  Princess  Margaret  of  Norway,  was  by 
consent  of  the  nobles  of  Scotland,  solemnly  betrothed  to 
little  Edward  of  Caernarvon,  Prince  of  Wales. 

In  1290,  Queen  Eleanora  was  the  mother  of  nine  beauti- 
ful princesses,  to  whose  care  and  education  she  devoted  a 
great  deal  of  time.  They  occupied  a  retired  portion  of 
Westminster  Palace,  which  was  called  in  consequence, 
Maiden  Hall.  One  of  these  princesses  entered  a  convent, 
not  long  after  the  ninth  one  was  born,  and  during  the  same 
year  three  others  married.  The  rejoicings  that  attended 
the  nuptial  ceremonies  were  suddenly  brought  to  a  close 
by  a  dreadful  calamity.  It  had  been  arranged  that  the 
little  Queen  Margaret  of  Scotland  should  go  to  England  to 
be  educated  under  the  guidance  of  Queen  Eleanora,  but 
she  died  on  the  voyage.  This  sad  event  was  disastrous  to 
Scotland,  and  threatened  the  prosperity  of  the  whole 
kingdom,  by  severing  the  bond  that  would  have  united  it 
had  the  marriage  between  Margaret  and  Edward  been 
consummated. 

[A.D.  1 29 1.]  As  soon  as  the  king  heard  of  Margaret's 
death  he  started  for  Scotland,  bidding  his  beloved  Elea- 
nora to  follow  as  speedily  as  possible.  But  before  he 
reached  his  destination  a  messenger  overtook  him  with 
news  of  the  queen's  dangerous  illness.  She  had  been 
attacked  with  fever  while  travelling  through  Lincolnshire, 
and  prevented  from  proceeding.  Edward  turned  back 
instantly,  and  everything  was  lost  sight  of  excepting  that 
his  dear  wife  was  ill  and  suffering.  Notwithstanding  that 
he  pushed  forward  with  utmost  haste,  he  arrived  too  late, 
for  the  queen  was  dead.  King  Edward's  grief  was  so  deep 
for  a  time  that  he  was  unable  to  attend  to  public  affairs  of 


1 74  The  Queens  of  England. 

any  description.  He  followed  the  corpse  of  his  wife  for 
thirteen  days,  stopping  at  every  important  town  to  have 
a  funeral  ceremony  performed  at  the  largest  church  where 
all  the  neighboring  priests  and  monks  assembled  for  the 
purpose.  As  the  royal  bier  approached  London  the  offi- 
cers and  principal  citizens  met  it,  clad  in  black  hoods  and 
gowns,  and  marched  in  solemn  procession  to  Westminster 
Abbey. 

Queen  Eleanora  was  buried  at  the  feet  of  her  royal  father- 
in-law.  Besides  the  beautiful  monument  in  bronze  for 
which  King  Edward  paid  an  Italian  artist  ;^i7oo,  he 
erected  others  in  the  shape  of  a  cross  in  memory  of  the 
chere  reine,  as  he  called  his  wife,  at  each  of  the  places 
where  the  funeral  procession  halted  on  the  way  to  Lon- 
don. The  last  stopping  place  was  the  one  now  called 
Charing  Cross,  a  perversion  of  the  original  French,  which 
signified  "  dear  queen's  cross." 

Eleanora  of  Castile  was  sincerely  lamented  in  England ; 
for  as  Walsingham  says  of  her :  "  To  our  nation,  she  was 
a  living  mother,  the  column  and  pillar  of  the  whole  realm. 
She  was  a  godly,  modest  and  merciful  princess,  who  con- 
soled the  sorrow-stricken,  and  made  those  friends  that  were 
at  discord." 

During  the  reign  of  Edward  L  and  Eleanora,  sculpture, 
architecture,  casting  in  brass  and  bronze,  and  wood-carving 
were  encouraged,  and  many  beautiful  specimens  of  these 
branches  of  art  appeared  in  England. 

Of  all  the  children  of  this  royal  couple,  the  nun-prin- 
cess and  Edward  IL  were  the  only  ones  that  reached  mid- 
dle age. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MARGUERITE    OF    FRANCE,    SECOND    QUEEN    OF 
EDWARD   I.      (A.D.  1282-1317.) 

King  Edward  I.  was  so  grieved  at  the  death  of  his  "  chhre 

reine"  that  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  deepest  melancholy, 
which  lasted  several  months.  He  was  growing  old,  and 
felt  the  loss  of  his  companion  of  many  years  most  keenly. 
However,  he  learned  in  time  to  submit  to  the  inevitable, 
and  roused  himself  to  attend  to  the  aifairs  of  his  kingdom. 

No  sooner  did  his  ministers  observe  this  favorable  change 
in  the  mind  of  their  monarch  than  they  set  to  work  to  effect 
further  improvement  by  seeking  a  successor  to  the  defunct 
queen.  Their  choice  fell  on  Marguerite,  the  sister  of 
Philip  le  Bel  of  France. 

[A.  D.  1299.]  After  the  usual  preliminaries  the  treaty 
was  duly  signed,  and  the  marriage  was  celebrated  at  Can- 
terbury, Sept.  8,  1299. 

Marguerite  was  only  seventeen  years  old,  but  she  was 
such  a  good,  sedate  and  pious  woman  that  her  union  with  a 
man  old  enough  to  be  her  grandfather  proved  by  no  means 
an  unhappy  one.  On  the  contrary,  she  exercised  a  whole- 
some influence  over  him,  and  prompted  him  to  many  mer- 
ciful and  worthy  actions. 

It  was  due  to  her  persuasion  that  the  poor  widow.  Lady 
Marguerite  Howard,  was  released  from  a  debt  to  the  crown 
which  she  could  not  possibly  have  paid,  and  many  of  her 
subjects  could  cite  similar  acts  prompted  by  her  good  and 
tender  heart. 


176  The  Quee7is  of  England. 

The  citizens  of  Winchester  were  deeply  indebted  to  her 
for  preserving  them  from  King  Henry's  wrath  when  Ber- 
nard Pereres,  a  hostage  from  the  city  of  Bayonne,  made  his 
escape.  He  had  been  confided  to  the  care  of  the  mayor 
of  Winchester,  and  was  looked  upon  as  a  prisoner  of  the 
greatest  importance.  King  Edward  placed  a  sheriff  in 
charge  of  the  city,  deprived  the  people  of  all  their  liberties, 
fined  the  mayor  three  hundred  marks,  and  shut  him  up  in 
the  Marshalsea  prison  until  he  should  be  able  to  pay  the 
sum.  The  Winchester  citizens  were  in  despair,  and  threw 
themselves  on  the  mercy  of  their  queen.  She  recalled  the 
exhibition  of  loyalty  that  they  had  made  when  she  appeared 
among  them  a  bride,  and  her  heart  warmed  towards  them 
in  their  distress.  Fortunately,  she  was  able  to  aid  them, 
for  the  king  had  presented  her  with  the  charter  of  Win- 
chester, thus  entitling  her  to  all  the  fines  levied  on  its  cit- 
izens. With  this  document  she  presented  herself  before 
her  lord,  and  claimed  the  unfortunate  mayor  with  his  three 
hundred  marks,  as  her  property.  Edward  yielded,  and  even 
restored  the  liberties  of  which  he  had,  in  his  displeasure, 
deprived  the  Winchester  people.  They  never  ceased  to  be 
grateful  to  Queen  Marguerite. 

But  tliis  occurred  after  she  had  been  Edward's  wife  sev- 
eral years.     We  must  return  to  the  beginning  of  her  reign. 

On  the  Wednesday  after  his  marriage,  the  king  was  sud- 
denly and  unexpectedly  summoned  to  Scotland  because  of 
a  rebellion  that  had  broken  out  there.  During  his  absence 
the  queen  occupied  apartments  in  the  Tower,  and  as  the 
small-pox  was  raging  in  London  that  season,  her  court  were 
quarantined  in  that  palace. 

The  following  year  she  joined  the  king  in  Scotland,  but 
stopped  at  Brotherton  in  Yorkshire  while  he  was  fighting 
his  battles. 

[A.  D.  1300.]     On  the  first  of  June,  1300,  her  first  child 


lARGUERITE  OK  FRANCE. 


*3o8.  Marguerite  of  France.  179 

was  bom.  It  was  a  boy,  and  Queen  Marguerite  gave  him 
the  name  of  Thomas,  after  the  favorite  English  saint, 
Thomas  k  Becket  of  Canterbury. 

The  queen  occupied  Cawood  Castle  at  that  time,  and 
during  the  four  years  she  spent  in  that  magnificent  fortress, 
her  husband  was  laying  siege  to  one  stronghold  after 
another,  until  Scotland  was  subdued  from  sea  to  sea.  Stir- 
ling Castle  was  the  last  one  to  yield,  but  when  King  Edward 
made  his  triumphal  journey  home  to  England,  its  brave  com- 
mander, Wallace,  was  carried  a  captive  in  the  royal  train. 

On  their  return  to  London,  the  king  and  queen  gave  a 
series  of  entertainments  to  celebrate  the  conquest  of  Scot- 
land. One  of  the  grandest  tournaments  ever  witnessed  in 
England  took  place  at  that  time,  at  Westminster  Palace,  on 
which  occasion  Prince  Edward  and  two  hundred  other 
ttoblemen  were  knighted.  In  1308  the  queen  had  another 
son.  She  named  him  Edmund,  and  he  afterward  became 
the  Earl  of  Kent. 

[A.  D.  1308.]  King  Edward  was  on  his  way  to  Scotland 
in  1308,  but  fell  ill  before  he  reached  the  border.  He  lin- 
gered until  the  Prince  of  Wales  reached  him,  and  with  his 
dying  breath  commanded  his  son,  "  to  be  kind  to  his  little 
brothers,  and,  above  all,  to  treat  with  respect  and  tenderness 
his  mother.  Queen  Marguerite." 

Much  sorrow  was  felt  at  the  death  of  their  warrior  king, 
but  his  wife  mourned  for  the  loss  of  the  tender,  affectionate 
husband  Edward  had  always  been. 

A  few  months  after  his  death  she  went  to  France  to  be 
present  at  the  marriage  of  Edward  IL,  with  her  niece,  Isa- 
bella. On  her  return  to  England  she  lived  in  seclusion,  de- 
voting her  time  and  money  to  deeds  of  charity.  Margue- 
rite died  on  the  14th  of  February,  13 17,  at  the  early  age  of 
thirty-six,  and  was  buried  at  the  Grey  Friars  church,  a  splen- 
did building  that  she  had  founded. 


i8o 


The  Queens  of  England. 


[A.  D.  13 1 7.]  Her  stepson,  Edward  II.,  had  always  loved 
her,  and  to  show  his  respect  for  her  memory,  he  not  only 
had  her  pall  draped  with  rich  material  of  silk  striped  with 
gold,  but  erected  a  splendid  monument  besides. 

Queen  Marguerite  is  the  ancestress  of  all  the  English 
nobility  bearing  the  name  of  Howard,  who  unite  in  their 
veins  the  blood  of  St.  Louis  with  the  greatest  of  the  Plan- 
tagenet  kings. 


OLD    CHARING     CROSS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ISABELLA  OF  FRANCE,    QUEEN  OF  EDWARD  IL 
(A.D.  129S-1358.) 

Isabella  of  France  was  a  princess  of  the  very  highest 
rank,  her  father  being  Philip  IV.  of  France,  and  her  mother 
Queen  of  Navarre.  But  she  was  likewise  one  of  the  worst 
women  that  ever  occupied  the  throne  of  England.  She* 
was  bom  in  1295,  and  when  only  nine  years  of  age  was  be- 
trothed to  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales.  At  that  time  her 
father  agreed  to  settle  on  her  the  sum  of  ;^  18,000  for  her 
marriage  portion. 

He  was  not  rich  enough  to  give  her  so  much  money,  but 
he  got  possession  of  it  by  murdering  and  robbing  the  poor 
Knights  Templars  —  a  religious  body  first  established  at 
Jerusalem  to  protect  pilgrims  travelling  in  the  Holy  Land. 
Such  ill-gotten  gain  could  not  be  expected  to  bestow  much 
pleasure  or  profit  on  the  possessor  of  it. 

When  Edward  I.  was  dying,  he  charged  his  son  to  lose 
no  time  in  completing  the  arrangements  for  his  marriage, 
and  the  prince  had  received  such  favorable  reports  con- 
cerning the  personal  charms  of  his  lady-love  that  he  has- 
tened to  obey.  Before  the  king  was  buried  he  dispatched 
two  earls  to  France  to  appoint  the  wedding  day. 

He  was  so  much  in  love,  that  it  is  said  he  lost  the  king- 
dom of  Scotland  by  hurrying  away  to  get  married  when  his 
presence  in  that  country  would  have  made  him  its  sovereign. 

He  need  not  have  been  in  such  hastfe,  for  Isabella  was 
scarcely  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  perhaps  if  he  hadwai'^d 

181 


1 82  The  Queens  of  England. 

until  her  mind  was  more  matured,  she  would  not  have  acted 
so  unwisely  as  she  did  on  several  occasions  afterwards. 

Grand  preparations  were  made  at  Westminster  Palace  for 
the  reception  of  the  young  queen.  The  royal  apartments 
were  re-decorated  and  handsomely  furnished,  the  gardens 
were  newly  laid  out  and  planted  with  the  rarest  flowers,  the 
fish-ponds  were  all  cleaned  out  and  freshly  supplied,  and 
Queen's  Bridge  was  repaired.  The  royal  ship  called  Mar- 
garet of  Westminster  was  cleaned,  painted,  and  newly  fitted 
up  under  the  king's  personal  direction  for  the  comfort  of 
his  expected  bride,  and  no  trouble  or  expense  was  spared 
that  could  add  to  her  pleasure. 

When  everything  was  ready,  Edward  appointed  his  favor- 
ite, Piers  Gaveston,  guardian  of  the  country,  and  sailed,  ac- 
companied by  Queen  Marguerite,  his  stepmother,  to  meet 
his  bride.  He  landed  at  Boulogne,  where  Isabella  and  her 
royal  parents  awaited  him,  and  the  next  day  the  marriage 
was  celebrated  at  the  famous  cathedral  of  that  town. 

[A.  D.  1308.]  Four  kings  and  four  queens  were  present, 
besides  a  larger  number  of  princes  and  nobility  than  had 
ever  met  together  on  such  an  occasion,  and  the  church  pre- 
sented an  appearance  of  unusual  magnificence.  The  bride's 
beauty  excited  the  greatest  admiration,  and  she  was  called 
Isabella  the  Fair.  Had  any  member  of  that  royal  assem- 
bly been  told  that  before  the  end  of  her  life  she  would  be 
known  as  the  "  She-wolf  of  France,"  he  would  not  have  be- 
lieved it ;  appearances  are  often  deceptive. 

Festivities  were  kept  up  for  nearly  two  weeks,  then  the 
newly-wedded  couple  went  to  Dover,  where  they  were  met 
by  a  large  party  of  noble  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  attended 
them  to  Westminster. 

Among  those  who  met  them  on  their  arrival  in  England 
was  the  Piers  Gaveston  whom  Edward  had  left  as  guardian 
during  his  absence.     This  man  was  the  cause  of  a  great 


i5Ai;iiLi.A  ui'   iK.i:\^^. 


1308.  Isabella  of  France.  185 

deal  of  trouble  later  because  of  his  unbounded  influence 
over  the  king,  who,  the  moment  he  caught  sight  of  his 
favorite,  flew  to  him  and  threw  his  arms  about  his  neck 
calling  him  "  brother." 

Isabella's  outfit  was  magnificent.  She  had  two  superb 
solid  gold  crowns  ornamented  with  precious  stones,  a  large 
number  of  gold  and  silver  drinking  vessels,  golden  spoons, 
fifty  silver  soup-bowls,  twelve  large  silver  dishes,  and  twelve 
smaller  ones.  Her  dresses  were  made  of  gold  and  silver 
stuff,  velvet,  and  shot  silk.  Six  of  them  were  of  the  finest 
imported  green  cloth,  six  were  of  mixed  and  figured  mate- 
rial, and  six  were  -scarlet ;  she  had,  besides,  a  supply  of 
costly  furs,  four  hundred  and  nineteen  yards  of  towels,  and 
six  dozen  nightcaps.  She  brought  with  her  the  tapestry 
for  her  own  chamber,  on  which  were  embroidered  in  gold 
the  arms  of  France,  England,  and  Brabant. 

Her  father  presented  his  son-in-law  with  a  large  number 
of  the  costHest  rings,  jewels,  and  other  precious  articles 
that  could  be  found ;  but  Edward  was  foolish  enough  to 
give  all  to  Piers  Gaveston,  who  had  a  perfect  passion  for 
finery. 

Such  conduct  on  the  part  of  her  husband  made  Isabella 
very  angry,  for  she  looked  upon  these  handsome  gifts  from 
her  father  as  part  of  her  dowry,  and  naturally  she  objected 
very  decidedly  to  having  them  handed  over  to  a  stranger 
whom  she  had  already  begun  to  dislike. 

Just  a  month  after  the  marriage  the  day  was  appointed 
for  the  coronation  of  the  young  king  and  queen,  but  the 
nobles  informed  Edward  that  unless  his  haughty  favorite 
were  banished  from  court  they  would  not  attend  the  cere- 
mony. This  threat  signified  that  they  meant -to  refuse  their 
oath  of  allegiance,  so  Edward  was  very  much  alarmed,  but 
promised  that  at  the  parliament,  which  was  to  meet  imme- 
diately after  the  coronation,  everything  should  be  arranged 


1 86  The  Queens  of  England. 

to  their  entire  satisfaction.  But  he  gave  fresh  cause  for 
complaint  by  bestowing  upon  Piers  Gaveston  the  very  high- 
est office  at  the  coronation,  —  that  of  bearing  the  St.  Ed- 
ward's crown.  This  made  one  of  the  royal  earls  so  angry 
that  he  would  have  killed  the  favorite  on  the  spot  had  it 
not  been  for  the  respect  he  felt  for  the  young  queen. 

Gaveston  had  taken  it  upon  himself  to  manage  every- 
thing ;  and  either  his  arrangements  were  badly  made,  or  he 
was  so  unpopular,  that  nobody  would  obey  him,  for  there 
was  nothing  but  disorder  and  confusion  from  beginning  to 
end.  The  crowd  was  so  great  that  several  people  were 
injured,  and  one  poor  knight  was  knocked  down  and  trod- 
den to  death.  It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before 
the  coronation  was  over,  and  since  early  morning  those 
engaged  in  the  ceremonies  had  eaten  nothing.  The  com- 
pany were  not  seated  at  the  banquet  until  after  dark,  and 
then  every  dish  was  so  poorly  cooked  and  so  badly  served 
that  the  hungry  nobles  were  indignant,  and  felt  that  they 
could  sooner  have  forgiven  the  favorite  for  any  offence  than 
this  one.  Isabella,  too,  was  out  of  humor  and  exhausted ; 
in  short,  all  classes  were  dissatisfied,  and  many  of  the  cus- 
tomary ceremonies  had  to  be  omitted  because  the  usual 
masters  of  them  were  absent. 

Whether  by  accident  or  design,  several  slights  were  put 
upon  the  young  queen  that  made  her  French  followers  so 
angry  that  they  went  back  home  and  complained  ^o  her 
father.  Besides,  Isabella  sent  a  letter  filled  with  com- 
plaints against  her  husband  and  his  too-powerful  favorite. 
This  made  the  King  of  France  use  all  his  influence  to 
strengthen  the  party  of  French  barons  who  despised  Gaves- 
ton, and  even  to  induce  the  English  ones  to  oppose  him, 
too. 

Probably,  if  the  queen  had  been  older,  her  beauty  and 
talents  might  have  enabled  her  to  gain  such  control  over 


i3o8-  Isabella  of  France.  187 

her  husband  that  his  favorite's  presence  would  have  had 
less  effect ;  but  she  was  so  young  and  inexperienced  that, 
although  she  felt  the  importance  of  her  position  in  the 
English  court,  Edward  treated  her  like  a  child,  and  this 
vexed  her  beyond  everything. 

Gaveston  was  just  the  sort  of  a  person  who  could,  if  he 
chose,  lead  so  weak  a  young  man  as  Edward  II.,  and,  un- 
fortunately, he  did  so  choose.  He  was  very  handsome,  a 
perfect  Adonis,  remarkable  for  his  courteous  manners, 
courage,  and  sparkling  wit.  He  would  mimic  and  make 
fun  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  English  nobles  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  thoughtless  king,  which  was,  of  course,  most 
displeasing  to  them,  and  he  even  went  so  far  as  to  ridicule 
the  queen.  She  complained  to  her  father,  who  secretly 
induced  the  barons  to  insist  upon  the  banishment  of  the 
favorite.  Edward  was  at  last  compelled  to  yield,  and 
promised  to  send  him  beyond  the  seas,  but  the  wily  Gaves- 
ton had  recently  strengthened  his  position  by  marrying  a 
niece  of  the  king,  so  he  had  himself  appointed  Governor 
of  Ireland.  Even  his  worst  enemies  own  that  he  ruled  that 
country  very  well. 

But  the  following  year  he  came  back  to  England  to 
attend  a  tournament.  He  brought  such  a  magnificent 
retinue,  and  made  so  great  a  display,  that  the  barons  were 
jealous,  and  hated  him  worse  than  ever.  Little  did  their 
dislike  or  their  displeasure  affect  him,  for  he  took  his 
revenge  by  ridiculing  them  anew,  and  calling  them  most 
provoking  names.  The  Earl  of  Pembroke  was  dark,  thin, 
and  sallow-complexioned,  so  he  named  him  "Joseph  the 
Jew ; "  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  who  foamed  at  the  mouth 
when  in  a  passion,  was  "  the  Wild  Boar  of  Ardenne ;  "  and 
the  Earl  of  Lancaster,  who  dressed  peculiarly,  was  styled 
"the.  Stage  Player."  Thus  he  made  fun  of  the  entire 
party.     But  the  insults  were  treasured  up  against  him; 


1 88  The  Queens  of  England. 

and  when,  some  years  later,  his  day  of  reckoning  dawned, 
not  much  mercy  was  shown  him. 

In  the  meantime  he  had  stirred  up  such  a  storm  that  his 
royal  master's  throne  tottered  under  him.  The  queen  and 
her  uncle,  the  Earl  of  Lancaster,  with  all  the  barons, 
formed  a  combination  against  him  so  strong  that  Edward 
dared  not  oppose  it,  and  dismissed  him  to  Guienne,  At 
parting  with  his  favorite,  he  lavished  on  him  all  his  jewels, 
even  the  rings,  brooches,  and  buckles  that  his  young  wife 
had  presented  him  with  at  various  times.  This  was  one  of 
the  most  foolish  things  Edward  ever  did,  and  nobody  can 
blame  Isabella  for  feeling  offended. 

However,  she  was  at  that  time  much  beloved  by  her 
subjects,  and,  with  Gaveston  out  of  the  way,  we  hear  no 
more  complaints  until  the  year  13 12,  when,  to  her  great 
displeasure,  he  turned  up  again.  This  time,  with  his  usual 
lack  of  judgment,  the  king  had  recalled  him,  and  made  him 
his  principal  secretary  of  state.  This  was  a  very  high 
office,  for  he  had  all  the  affairs  of  the  country  under  his 
control,  and  so  determined  was  he  to  keep  Edward  under 
his  thumb  that  nobody  could  speak  to  him  excepting 
through  the  secretary. 

This  arrangement  gave  great  offence,  and  when  the 
young  queen  saw  how  the  royal  favorite  was  injuring  her 
husband  by  making  the  nation  dislike  him,  and,  what  was 
still  worse,  by  leading  him  into  dissipation  and  other  acts 
of  folly,  she  angrily  remonstrated  with  him.  He  forgot  the 
respect  due  to  her  rank,  and  answered  with  contempt, 
whereupon  she  complained  to  the  king.  But  instead  of 
upholding  his  wife  and  punishing  his  insolent  favorite, 
Edward  treated  the  matter  with  the  utmost  indifference. 
Isabella  was  furious,  and  wrote  to  her  father,  the  King  of 
France,  a  letter  filled  with  bitter  complaints  of  her  hus- 
band's coldness  and  neglect,  saying,  "that  she  was  the 


13 1 2.  Isabella  of  France,  189 

most  wretched  of  wives,  and  that  Gaveston  was  the  cause 
of  all  her  troubles." 

In  reply,  Philip  secretly  urged  the  peers  to  rebel,  which 
they  did  at  last,  headed  by  the  Earl  of  Lancaster,  and 
determined  to  compel  Edward  to  dismiss  his  hated  secre- 
tary of  state.  Then  began  a  civil  war,  the  most  horrible 
disaster  that  can  overtake  any  country.  Edward,  evidently 
considering  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor,  ran  away 
with  his  wife  and  his  favorite.  They  got  as  far  as  York, 
but  the  victorious  barons  entered  that  place  in  triumph, 
and  the  two  fugitives  sailed  for  Scarborough,  leaving  the 
poor  young  queen  alone,  although  she  entreated  her  hus- 
band with  tears  in  her  eyes  to  take  her  along. 

Finding  herself  forsaken,  Isabella  retired  to  a  remote 
castle,  where  she  passed  her  time  in  visiting  the  sick  and 
poor,  which  the  following  notes,  found  in  the  royal  house- 
hold book,  prove  :  — 

[A.D.  1312.]  "October  9.  To  little  Thomeline,  the  Scotch 
orphan  boy,  to  whom  the  queen,  being  moved  to  charity  by  his 
miseries,  gave  food  and  raiment  to  the  amount  of  six  and  six- 
pence." 

And  again  : 

"  To  the  same  orphan,  on  his  being  sent  to  London  to  dwell 
with  Agnes,  the  wife  of  Jean,  the  queen's  French  organist;  for 
his  education,  for  necessaries  bought  him,  and  for  curing  his 
maladies,  fifty-two  shillings  and  eightpence." 

While  at  this  castle  the  queen  received  a  message  from 
her  uncle  Lancaster  assuring  her  of  her  safety,  and  telling 
her  that  they  were  only  fighting  to  get  hold  of  Gaveston. 

The  king,  in  the  meantime,  having  left  his  favorite  in  the 
strong  fortress  of  Scarborough,  proceeded  to  the  midland 
counties  to  raise  forces  for  his  defence. '  But  the  men  of 
England  were  so  indignant  at  the  treatment  their  young 


190 


The  Queens  of  England 


queen  had  received  at  the  hands  of  her  husband  and  his 
unworthy  guide,  that  instead  of  obeying  the  orders  they 
received,  they  rose  en  masse  to  storm  Gaveston  in  his 
sheher.  Being  destitute  of  provisions,  and  knowing  that 
he  could  not  withstand  a  siege,  he  surrendered  on  condi- 


RETAINER'S   HALL. 

tion  that  he  was  to  be  safely  conducted  to  the  king  and 
allowed  to  speak  with  him  freely  before  his  trial. 

The  barons,  after  solemnly  swearing  to  observe  this 
treaty,  lost  no  time  in  bringing  their  prisoner  to  a  sham 
trial.  No  mercy  tempered  their  judgment  of  a  man  who 
had  ridiculed  and  defied  them,  so  they  beheaded  him  then 
and  there.  Afterwards  they  enjoyed  the  extreme  satisfac- 
tion of  ransacking  the  luckless  favorite's   baggage,   and 


1312.  Isabella  of  France.  19 1 

found  many  of  the  crown  jewels,  a  number  of  precious 
ornaments  that  had  been  presented  to  the  king,  and  several 
articles  of  gold  and  silver  plate  from  the  royal  house- 
hold. 

When  Edward  heard  of  the  murder  of  his  friend,  he  was 
beside  himself  with  rage  and  grief,  and  swore  vengeance 
on  the  heads  of  those  who  had  committed  the  deed.  He 
then  joined  the  queen  and  went  with  her  to  Windsor,  where 
their  first  child,  afterwards  Edward  III.,  was  born. 

He  was  a  fine  healthy  baby,  and  his  parents,  as  well  as 
the  English  nation,  and  the  French  nobles  who  were  in  the 
country  were  all  delighted  at  this  happy  event.  Four  days 
after  his  birth  the  little  fellow  was  baptized  with  great 
pomp,  having  no  less  than  seven  godfathers. 

After  this  period,  Isabella's  influence  over  her  husband 
was  so  strengthened  that  she  brought  about  a  reconciliation 
between  him  and  his  barons,  and  there  was  peace  in  the 
realm  once  more.  Then  the  king  and  queen  made  a 
pleasure  trip  to  Paris,  where  they  spent  two  months  en- 
joying the  feasts  and  amusements  which  the  magnificent 
and  wealthy  court  of  Philip  provided  for  their  entertain- 
ment. 

At  last,  through  the  entreaties  of  the  queen,  the  pardon 
to  all  those  who  had  assisted  in  causing  the  death  of 
Gaveston  was  published,  and  her  excellent  influence  was 
felt  in  many  ways. 

During  the  next  ^ew  years  another  prince  and  a  princess 
were  born,  and  on  each  occasion  presents  of  great  value 
were  distributed  by  the  royal  pair. 

In  the  household  book  there  is  mention  of  the  king's 
gift  of  ;^333,  "  to  Isabella,  Queen  of  England,  for  the  bap- 
tismal feast  after  the  birth  of  the  Lady  Eleanora."  There 
are  also  these  entries,  showing  something  of  the  fashions 
of  the  time  :  — 


192  The  Queens  of  England. 

"To  Vanne  Ballard,  for  pieces  of  silk  and  gold  tissue  of  fus- 
tian and  of  flame-colored  silk  for  the  making  of  cushions  for  the 
charrettes  (carriages)  of  the  queen  and  her  ladies." 

"  To  Robert  le  Termor,  the  bootmaker  of  Fleet  Street,  for  six 
pairs  of  boots  with  tassels  of  silk  and  drops  of  silver  gilt,  price  of 
each  pair  five  shillings,  bought  for  the  king's  use." 

When  the  royal  couple  kept  Twelfth  Night  their  presents 
were  very  generous.  To  one  of  their  subjects  they  gave  a 
silver  gilt  pitcher  with  stand  and  cover;  to  another,  for 
presenting  bunches  of  new  grapes,  ioj.  ;  to  another,  for 
bringing  a  box  of  rose-colored  sugar,  £2  \os.\  to  the 
mother  of  the  king's  fool,  ioj.,  besides  many  others.  To 
the  Lady  Mary,  the  king's  sister,  who  was  a  nun,  fifteen 
pieces  of  tapestry  with  coats-of-arms  embroidered  thereon, 
besides  £2^  on  her  departure  from  court,  and  to  three  of 
his  knights  for  dragging  him  out  of  bed  on  Easter  morning 
Edward  paid  ;^2o. 

[A.D.  13 1 7.]  During  this  fourteenth  century  there  was 
the  most  dreadful  famine  ever  known  in  England,  which 
lasted  nearly  three  years.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  king 
and  queen  were  dining  in  public  in  the  great  hall  of  the 
palace  at  Westminster,  a  woman,  wearing  a  mask,  entered 
on  horseback,  rode  straight  up  to  the  royal  table,  and 
handed  a  letter  to  the  king.  Thinking  that  it  probably 
contained  some  agreeable  flatter)',  he  ordered  it  to  be  read 
aloud.  But,  to  his  great  mortification,  it  took  him  severely 
to  task  for  his  unkingly  fancies,  and  blamed  his  bad  gov- 
ernment for  all  the  calamities  that  had  befallen  the  country. 
The  woman  was  immediately  arrested,  and  confessed  that 
she  had  been  employed  by  a  certain  knight.  The  person 
she  named  boldly  acknowledged  that  he  had  written  the 
letter,  supposing  that  it  would  be  read  in  private,  and  that 
the  king  would  thus  be  informed  of  the  complaints  of  his 
subjects. 


I32I. 


Isabella  of  France. 


193 


[A.D.  1321.] 
It  was  about 
four  years  after 
this  event  that 
the  queen  first 
met  Roger 
Mortimer,  the 
man  who  exer- 
cised such  an 
influence  over 
her  life.  By 
this  time  the 
king  had  two 
new  favorites 
named  De- 
spencer.  They 
were  father 
and  son,  and 
both  were  bit- 
ter enemies  to 
Roger  Morti- 
mer. 

The  circum- 
stances of  Isa- 
bella's life  so 
began  to  shape 
themselves  at 
this  period  that 
from  being  a 
lovely,  amiable 
peace  -  maker, 
she  became  a 
bad,  cruel,  dis- 
honored trai- 
tor. 


194  The  Qtieens  of  England. 

In  132 1  she  set  out  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  tomb  of  St. 
Thomas  k  Becket,  proposing  to  spend  the  night  at  Leeds 
Castle,  which  was  her  own  property.  Baron  Badlesmere 
had  charge  of  this  castle,  and  lived  there  with  his  wife,  so 
Isabella  sent  a  marshal  in  advance  to  have  everything  put 
in  order  for  her  reception,  not  imagining  for  a  moment 
that  any  objection  could  possibly  be  raised  to  her  stopping 
there.  But  the  baron  was  absent  from  home,  and  had 
charged  his  wife  to  protect  the  castle  from  any  intruders 
whatsoever.  Not  knowing  what  might  be  the  real  object 
of  the  queen's  visit.  Lady  Badlesmere  did  just  the  wrong 
thing  when  the  royal  messengers  arrived,  treated  them  with 
insolence,  and  said,  "  that  the  queen  might  seek  some  other 
lodging,  for  she  would  admit  nobody  within  the  castle  with- 
out an  order  from  her  lord." 

The  messenger  w^as  still  arguing  the  case  with  the  lady 
when  Isabella  arrived  at  the  castle  gates  with  her  train. 
A  volley  of  arrows  greeted  the  party,  and  killed  six  of  the 
royal  escort.  The  queen  was  obliged  to  seek  other  shelter 
for  the  night,  but  she  was  excessively  angrj',  and  com- 
plained bitterly  to  the  king  of  the  treatment  she  had 
received,  begging  him  to  avenge  the  insolence  of  Lady 
Badlesmere  for  daring  to  exclude  her  from  her  own  castle. 
Badlesmere  himself  was  foolish  enough  to  send  a  most 
insulting  letter  to  the  queen  in  reply  to  the  complaints  that 
had  been  addressed  to  him  concerning  his  wife's  conduct, 
declaring  that  he  heartily  approved  of  what  she  had  done. 
As  this  baron  had  held  the  high  position  of  steward  of  the 
royal  household  before  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  Leeds 
Castle,  it  is  probable  that  the  queen  had  done  something 
to  make  him  her  enemy.  Neither  her  Uncle  Lancaster  nor 
any  of  his  associates  seemed  inclined  to  side  with  Isabella, 
so  she  determined  to  be  revenged  on  them  all,  and  would 
not  rest  until  her  husband  promised  to  besiege  the  castle. 


1321. 


Isabella  of  France. 


'M 


A  large  force  was  soon  gathered  together  before  the  walls, 
but  Lady  Badlesmere  felt  certain  that,  with  the  stock  of 
provisions  she  had  laid  in,  she  could  resist  any  attack, 
besides  she  expected  all  the  barons  to  side  with  her.     But 


UNDER  THE   TOWER. 


she  soon  found  out  her  mistake,  and  in  a  few  days  the 
Castle  of  Leeds  was  obliged  to  surrender,  and  eleven  of  its 
defenders,  including  Badlesmere,  were  hanged  just  outside 
the  gate.  Lady  Badlesmere  was  sent  to  the  Tower  of 
London  as  a  state  prisoner. 


\g6  The  Queens  of  England. 

Isabella  now  did  all  in  her  power  to  influence  the  king 
against  the  barons,  instead  of  working  to  restore  peace,  as 
she  once  did.  So  he  fought  against  them  in  person,  and 
Lancaster  was  seized  in  the  battle.  He  was  sentenced  by 
the  king  with  the  least  possible  delay,  and  beheaded  a  few 
hours  later.  The  queen  knew  nothing  about  her  uncle's 
sentence  until  too  late,  otherwise,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  she 
would  have  endeavored  to  save  him.  She  was  living  in 
the  Tower  at  the  time,  and  it  was  there  that  her  youngest 
child,  the  Lady  Joanna,  was  born. 

Roger  Mortimer  had  been  captured  while  fighting  against 
the  king,  and  imprisoned  in  the  Tower  under  sentence  of 
death ;  but  he  managed  in  some  unaccountable  manner  to 
see  Isabella,  and  get  her  interested  in  him.  Her  influence 
was  all-powerful  at  that  period,  so,  to  the  astonishment  of 
everybody,  she  made  Edward  change  Mortimer's  sentence 
of  death  to  imprisonment  for  life,  though  he  had  really 
commenced  the  civil  war  by  a  fierce  attack  on  the  lands  of 
the  Despencers.  These  men  now  hated  the  queen  more 
than  ever  for  assisting  their  enemy. 

The  following  year  Mortimer  planned  his  escape  from 
the  Tower  with  the  assistance  of  the  constable  and  others. 
The  queen  herself  provided  a  drink  for  the  guard  that  put 
them  into  a  heavy  sleep.  Then  the  prisoner,  who  had 
worked  a  hole  from  his  dungeon  into  the  kitchen  of  the 
royal  apartments,  climbed  up  the  chimney  and  got  out  on 
the  roof,  along  which  he  stealthily  crawled  to  the  Thames 
side,  and  descended  by  a  rope  ladder.  The  constable 
awaited  him  in  a  little  boat,  and  rowed  him  across  the 
river,  where  seven  of  his  friends  met  him  on  horseback. 
With  this  guard  he  went  to  the  coast  of  Hampshire,  and 
pretended  to  sail  to  the  Isle  of  Wight ;  but,  instead  of  that, 
the  fugitive  got  on  board  a  large  ship  that  had  been  en- 
gaged for  him,  and  was  soon  landed  in  Normandy.    Thence 


1325-  Isabella  of  France.  \<yj 

he  went  to  Paris.  When  the  king  heard  of  the  escape  a 
great  hue  and  cry  was  raised  for  Mortimer,  dead  or  alive, 
but  his  whereabouts  were  not  suspected,  and  he  remained 
safely  hidden  in  France. 

The  Despencers  now  began  to  influence  the  king  as 
powerfully  as  Gaveston  had  done,  and  the  queen  com- 
menced her  plans  for  their  destruction.  She  declared  that 
they  were  the  cause  of  all  the  recent  bloodshed,  and  pre- 
tended that  her  Uncle  Lancaster  was  a  saint  and  a  martyr, 
who  only  met  his  death  by  the  advice  of  these  favorites. 

They  had  really  committed  one  fault  for  which  Isabella 
could  not  forgive  them ;  they  had  caused  her  allowance  to 
bt  curtailed,  and  no  one  ever  offended  her  without  paying 
dearly  for  it. 

She  had  ceased  to  be  lovable  to  the  king,  and  so  had 
lost  her  hold  on  him ;  but  for  this  also  she  blamed  the 
Despencers.  Then  she  was  deprived,  by  their  advice,  of 
her  French  servants  and  of  all  her  possessions  in  England. 
She  and  her  husband  quarrelled  to  such  an  extent  that  at 
last  they  refused  to  see  each  other  at  all. 

But  Isabella  was  not  meek  enough  to  stand  ill-treatment, 
so  she  complained  to  her  brother,  King  Charles,  who  had 
succeeded  to  the  throne  of  France.  He  wrote  a  very 
indignant  letter  to  Edward,  declaring  his  intention  of  seiz- 
ing all  the  provinces  of  the  French  crown  held  by  England. 
But  Edward  was  not  prepared  for  war,  and  neither  he  nor 
his  ministers  dared  to  go  to  France  to  face  the  angry 
brother  of  Isabella. 

[A.D.  1325.]  In  this  dilemma  the  queen  volunteered 
her  services  as  peace-maker,  providing  she  might  be 
allowed  to  go  to  Paris  herself.  Edward  was  only  too 
happy  to  have  the  matter  so  easily  settled,  and  the  De- 
spencers were  delighted  at  the  thought  of  getting  rid  of 
her.     Isabella  had  a  little  plan  of  her  own   which  she 


198  The  Queens  of  England. 

intended  to  carry  out.  The  first  step  was  a  treaty  of 
peace,  which  she  arranged  on  her  arrival  in  France,  be- 
tween her  brother  and  the  King  of  England.  She  was  not 
at  all  surprised  when  the  Despencers,  who  feared  her  influ- 
ence over  the  weak  mind  of  Edward,  had  dissuaded  him 
from  crossing  the  channel  with  her,  even  after  his  arrange- 
ments had  been  made.  In  fact,  this  was  exactly  what  she 
had  desired,  because  it  enabled  her  to  propose  that  her 
son,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  should  be  invested  with  certain 
powers  which  she  named,  and  sent  in  his  father's  stead. 
Both  the  king  and  the  Despencers  fell  into  the  snare,  and 
Isabella  got  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  England  into  her  own 
hands. 

As  soon  as  Isabella  found  herself  safe  in  France  with 
her  son,  she  laughed  in  her  sleeve  at  the  way  she  had 
hoodwinked  her  husband  and  his  despised  favorites.  She 
was  just  where  she  wanted  to  be,  and  had  no  intention  of 
returning  to  England  until  affairs  there  had  changed  to  her 
complete  satisfaction.  She  and  her  brother.  King  Charles, 
had  concocted  a  treaty,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  so  written  as 
to  be  almost  incomprehensible,  and  to  leave  much  matter 
for  dispute  between  the  two  sovereigns. 

Isabella  made  all  sorts  of  frivolous  excuses  for  prolong- 
ing her  stay  in  Paris,  where  she  was  joined  by  her  favorite 
Mortimer  and  all  the  banished  English  lords.  Although 
these  people  were  open  enemies  of  her  husband  and  his 
government,  the  wicked  queen  held  councils  and  meetings 
with  them,  while  she  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
the  commissioners  Edward  had  appointed. 

The  Bishop  of  Exeter,  horrified  at  her  disgraceful  be- 
havior, went  over  to  England  to  inform  the  king  of  it,  and 
to  advise  him  to  command  her  immediate  return  with  the 
Prince  of  Wales. 

Edward  wrote  several  letters  to  his  wife  on  this  subject, 


1325-  Isabella  of  France.  199 

but  she  paid  no  attention  either  to  his  entreaties  or  his 
orders.  She  declared  openly  "that  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  Despencers  to  cause  her  to  be  put  to  death  if  she 
returned  to  England."  She  knew  better,  but  this  state- 
ment aided  her  schemes,  and  she  even  succeeded  in  de- 
ceiving her  brother,  King  Charles  of  France,  who  wrote 
King  Edward  "  that  he  could  not  permit  her  to  return  to 
him  unless  she  were  guaranteed  from  the  evil  that  was 
meditated  against  her  by  her.  enemies,  the  Despencers." 

Edward's  reply  to  this  letter  was  manly  and  dignified. 
He  begged  his  brother-in-law  not  to  credit  anything  so 
false,  but  to  send  back  his  wife,  of  whom  he  wrote  in  kind, 
affectionate  terms. 

Isabella  refused  to  go,  and  used  her  vile  influence  to 
encourage  her  son's  disobedience  in  this  matter  also.  Ed- 
ward II.  was  very  much  hurt,  and  wrote  frequently  to  his 
wife,  reminding  her  of  her  duty,  and  taking  her  severely  to 
task  for  her  disloyal  conduct. 

It  seems  that  during  this  time  Isabella  was  treacherous 
enough  to  write  most  friendly  letters  to  Hugh  Despencer, 
even  though  •he  had  openly  pronounced  him  her  enemy. 

What  offended  King  Edward  most  of  all  was  that  his 
son,  whom  he  loved  dearly,  was  not  only  kept  away  from 
him,  but  that  he  constantly  associated  with  his  mother's 
friend  and  adviser,  Mortimer,  who  had  proved  himself  a 
shameless,  worthless  traitor.  Besides,  Isabella  had  con- 
tracted a  marriage  between  her  son  and  a  daughter  of 
Count  Hainault  without  the  slightest  mention  of  the  matter 
to  her  husband,  and  had  even  gone  so  far  as  to  receive  the 
bride's  marriage  dowry,  which  was  paid  in  advance,  and 
used  it  for  her  own  private  expenses. 

Edward's  touching  appeals  took  effect  at  last  on  the 
heart  of  King  Charles,  who  began  to  treat  his  sister  coolly 
and  to  urge  her  return  to  England.     But  she  had  gone  too 


200  The  Queens  of  EnglaJid. 

far  to  stop  now,  and  her  influence  over  her  son  was  so 
great  that  she  made  him  believe  her  life  was  in  danger 
both  at  the  hands  of  his  father  and  the  Despencers.  The 
young  man  naturally  felt  that  he  must  stay  by  his  perse- 
cuted mother,  and,  if  necessary,  defend  her. 

Edward  then  applied  to  the  Pope,  who  threatened  to 
excommunicate  King  Charles  if  he  did  not  immediately 
dismiss  Isabella  and  her  son  from  his  dominions.  The 
King  of  France  was  much  alarmed  at  this  threat,  and  did 
not  hesitate  to  act  upon  it  at  once,  particularly  as  he  was 
so  displeased  with  his  sister  that  he  had  not  spoken  to  her 
for  a  long  time.  He  swore  *'  that  whoever  should  speak  in 
behalf  of  his  sister,  the  Queen  of  England,  should  forfeit 
his  lands  and  be  banished  the  realm." 

Isabella  had  a  cousin  named  Robert  d'Artois,  who  was 
warmly  attached  to  her.  One  night  he  woke  her  up  to 
inform  her  of  a  conspiracy  that  he  had  just  discovered  to 
deliver  her,  the  prince,  the  Earl  of  Kent,  her  husband's 
brother,  and  Mortimer  over  to  King  Edward. 

The  queen  was  so  alarmed  that  she  did  not  know  which 
way  to  turn.  Robert  advised  her  to  go  to  (Jermany,  and 
place  herself  under  the  protection  of  William,  Earl  of 
Hainault,  whose  wife  was  her  cousin.  This  plan  struck 
her  favorably,  and  the  next  night  she  left  Paris  with  Mor- 
timer, her  son,  and  the  Earl  of  Kent,^  who  always  sided 
with  her  against  his  brother.  King  Edward. 

After  some  days  they  got  into  the  country  of  Cambray, 
and  lodged  at  the  house  of  a  poor  knight,  who  received  the 
party  with  great  pleasure,  and  entertained  them  in  the  best 
possible  manner.  The  Earl  of  Hainault  was  a  good,  kind- 
hearted  man,  and  felt  very  sorry  when  he  thought  of  the 
queen's  being  obliged  to  seek  refuge  in  a  foreign  country, 
so  he  sent  his  young  brother.  Sir  John,  with  a  few  other 
gentlemen,  to  pay  his   respects  to  Isabella  and  conduct 


CITY     HALL,    VALENCIENNES. 


1325  Isabella  of  France.  203 

her  to  Valenciennes,  where  he  was  then  living  with  his 
family. 

Sir  John,  being  filled  with  the  spirit  of  a  true  knight- 
errant,  burst  into  tears  when  he  heard  Isabella's  sad  com- 
plaints from  her  own  lips.  "  Lady,"  he  said,  "  see  here 
your  knight  who  will  not  fail  to  die  for  you,  though  every 
one  else  should  forsake  you ;  therefore  I  will  do  everything 
in  my  power  to  conduct  you  safely  to  England  with  your 
son,  and  to  restore  you  to  your  rank  with  the  assistance  of 
your  friends  in  those  parts ;  and  I,  and  all  those  whom  I 
can  influence,  will  risk  our  lives  on  the  adventure  for  your 
sake ;  and  we  shall  have  a  sufficient  armed  force,  if  it 
please  God,  without  fearing  any  danger  from  the  King  of 
France." 

The  queen  would  have  thrown  herself  at  his  feet,  but  he 
would  not  allow  it,  and  said,  as  he  caught  her  in  his  arms : 
"  God  forbid  that  the  Queen  of  England  should  do  such  a 
thing !  Madam,  be  of  good  comfort  to  yourself  and  com- 
pany, for  I  will  keep  my  promise,  and  you  shall  come  to 
see  my  brother  and  the  countess,  his  wife,  and  all  their 
fine  children,  who  will  be  rejoiced  to  see  you,  for  I  have 
heard  them  say  so." 

The  queen  answered  :  "  Sir,  I  find  in  you  more  kindness 
and  comfort  than  in  all  the  world  besides ;  and  I  give  you 
five  hundred  thousand  thanks  for  all  you  have  promised 
with  so  much  courtesy.  I  and  my  son  shall  be  forever 
bound  unto  you,  and  we  will  put  the  kingdom  of  England 
under  your  management,  as  in  justice  it  ought  to  be." 

Then  Isabella  mounted  her  horse,  and  set  off  with  her 
train  to  follow  Sir  John  to  Valenciennes.  Many  of  the 
citizens  of  that  town  came  forth  to  meet  her,  and  she  was 
received  very  graciously  by  the  Earl  of  Hainault  and  his 
wife,  who  gave  several  feasts  in  her  honor. 

Isabella  spent   a  week  in  this  hospitable   household, 


204  The  Queens  of  England. 

during  which  Sir  John's  sympathies  were  so  aroused  in  her 
behalf  that  he  obtained  his  brother's  permission  to  accom- 
pany her  to  England.  In  the  meantime  he  had  written  to 
certain  knights  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  beseeching 
them  to  arm  in  the  cause  of  the  distressed  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. The  expedition  gathered  at  Dort,  where  the  queen 
and  her  suite  met  them.  Here  they  all  embarked,  but  the 
fleet  was  tossed  about  by  a  tempest  for  several  hours,  and 
some  of  the  ships  were  knocked  to  pieces.  At  last  the 
queen  was  brought  safely  to  shore  near  Harwich,  and  her 
knights  and  attendants  built  her  a  tent  of  carpets,  and  kin- 
dled a  great  fire  of  pieces  of  the  wrecked  vessels.  Then 
all  the  horses  and  arms  were  taken  from  the  ships  which, 
the  wind  being  favorable  by  that  time,  were  sent  around  to 
the  opposite  coast.  At  daybreak  the  queen  marched  with 
her  army  to  the  next  town,  where  she  found  the  houses  well 
stocked  with  all  sorts  of  provisions,  though  the  people  had 
fled  in  terror,  not  knowing  what  to  expect. 

The  advanced  guard,  meantime,  marched  through  the 
country,  seizing  all  the  cattle  and  food  they  could  get  hold 
of,  and  spreading  misery  in  every  direction.  When  Isabella 
came  along  the  owners  complained  bitterly,  but  she  paid 
them  most  liberally  for  all  they  had  lost.  The  money  thus 
distributed  made  the  queen  popular,  and  the  people  were 
anxious  to  supply  her  with  whatever  she  desired  after  that. 

Although  the  king  had  forbidden  his  subjects  to  meet 
Isabella,  when  she  arrived  at  Harwich  a  large  number  of 
knights,  barons,  and  bishops  were  assembled  to  welcome 
her.  Her  force  numbered  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  soldiers,  commanded  by  Sir  John  of  Hai- 
nault,  and  Roger  Mortimer  commanded  the  English,  who 
joined  them  after  they  landed. 

So  many  false  stories  had  been  circulated  by  the  queen's 
agents  of  the  persecutions  she  had  endured  from  her  hus- 


»32S- 


Isabella  of  France. 


205 


band  and  his  barbarous  ministers,  and  of  the  way  she  had 
been  driven  into  a  foreign  land  by  plots  against  her  life, 
that  she  was  considered  the  most  injured  of  wives  and 
queens.  The  common  people  were  blinded  by  excitement, 
and  flocked  to  meet  her  without  stopping  to  inquire  whether 
her  cause  were  just  or  not.    All  the  tales  of  her  guilty  con- 


OLD   FORT  AT  OXFORD. 


duct  that  had  reached  them  from  time  to  time  they  now 
believed  to  have  been  pure  inventions  of  her  enemies,  the 
Despencers.  No  voice  was  raised  against  her  though  she 
came  with  her  son,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  attended  by  an 
outlawed  traitor  and  a  band  of  foreigners  to  raise  a  revolt 
against  her  own  husband.  It  seems  strange  that  such  a 
wicked  woman  should  have  met  with  such  success;   but 


2o6  The  Queens  of  England. 

every  Plantagenet  in  England  was  on  her  side,  and  she  had 
many  French  relations  there  who  always  had  thought  her 
of  more  importance  than  the  king. 

Instead  of  taking  measures  to  defend  himself,  Edward 
wrote  pathetic  letters  to  the  Pope  and  to  the  King  of 
France  asking  for  aid,  and  issued  a  proclamation  offering 
;^i,ooo  for  the  head  of  the  arch  traitor,  Roger  Mortimer. 
The  queen  then  offered  a  reward  of  double  that  sum  for 
the  head  of  the  younger  Despencer,  and  declared  that  her 
only  motive  in  coming  home  was  to  deliver  England  from 
the  king's  bad  advisers. 

When  Isabella  attended  church  at  Oxford  in  company 
with  her  son,  Mortimer,  and  all  her  followers,  the  Bishop 
of  Hereford  preached  the  sermon  and  explained  the  queen's 
motive  for  taking  up  arms,  concluding  with  this  sentence  : 
"  When  the  head  of  a  kingdom  becometh  sick  and  diseased, 
it  must  be  taken  off  without  useless  attempts  to  administer 
any  other  remedy."  It  is  shocking  to  think  of  the  wife  and 
son  of  a  man  so  devoted  to  both,  as  King  Edward  certainly 
was,  listening  to  such  a  murderous  speech  without  express- 
ing their  horror  and  indignation.  But  the  only  effect  of  it 
was  to  increase  the  madness  of  the  populace  against  the 
unhappy  king,  who,  attended  by  the  two  Despencers  and  a 
few  other  friends,  fled  to  Bristol,  intending  to  seek  refuge 
in  Ireland. 

His  departure  was  the  signal  for  a  general  uprising  of 
the  Londoners,  who  mobbed  the  Tower,  and  set  all  the 
prisoners  free  in  the  queen's  name.  Then  Isabella  pursued 
her  husband  with  her  army,  which  had  largely  increased^ 
and  laid  siege  to  Bristol.  The  king  shut  himself  up  with 
the  younger  Despencer  in  the  castle,  much  grieved  to  see 
how  all  his  subjects  had  turned  against  him.  The  older 
Despencer  was  seized  and  brought  before  Isabella,  who 
declared  "  that  she  should  see  that  law  and  justice  were 


1325-  Isabella  of  France.  20>7 

executed  on  him  according  to  his  deeds."  "  Ah,  madam," 
he  replied ;  "  God  grant  me  an  upright  judge  and  a  just 
sentence !  and  that  if  I  cannot  find  it  in  this  world,  I  may 
find  it  in  another." 

The  knight  was  ninety  years  of  age  when  he  made  this 
reply,  but  that  was  of  no  consequence  to  Isabella ;  she  had 
him  in  her  power  at  last,  and  was  determined  to  punish 
him.  He  was  sentenced,  and  his  execution  took  place 
within  sight  of  his  son  and  the  king,  who  were  still  shut  up 
in  the  castle.  So  alarmed  were  they  at  the  old  man's  tragic 
fate  that  they  endeavored  to  escape  to  Wales  in  a  little 
boat.  After  tossing  about  for  some  days  they  were  driven 
back  by  contrary  winds  to  within  a  mile  of  the  castle  they 
had  fled  from.  A  knight,  observing  the  efforts  of  the  boat- 
men, rowed  out  in  his  own  barge  with  a  strong  force  to  see 
what  was  the  matter,  and  soon  succeeded  in  capturing  the 
king  and  his  favorite,  both  of  whom  were  delivered  over  to 
the  queen  as  her  prisoners. 

Now  Isabella's  evil  nature  blazed  out  and  showed  her 
real  character.  She  started  with  all  her  army  for  London, 
having  caused  Sir  Hugh  Despencer  to  be  bound  to  the 
smallest  and  meanest  horse  that  could  be  found,  and 
dressed  in  his  mantle  of  state,  on  which  was  embroidered 
his  coat-of-arms.  Thus  was  he  led  in  mockery  through  all 
the  towns  they  passed,  his  approach  being  announced  by 
trumpets  and  cymbals.  When  they  reached  Hereford  the 
royal  party  were  received  with  great  rejoicing,  and  stopped 
there  to  celebrate  the  feast  of  All  Saints. 

The  unfortunate  Hugh  Despencer,  who  had  eaten  not  a 
mouthful  since  the  moment  of  his  arrest,  now  became  faint, 
and  Isabella  feared  that  he  might  succumb  before  reaching 
London.  He  was,  therefore,  brought  to  trial  without  fur- 
ther delay,  and  most  crtielly  put  to  death. 

Several  other  gentlemen  who  had  in  one  way  or  another 


208  The  Queens  of  Eftgland. 

offended  either  the  queen  or  her  friend,  Mortimer,  were 
executed  in  the  same  place. 

When  the  army,  which  had  been  increased  to  an  enor- 
mous size  by  volunteers  by  the  way,  arrived  in  London, 
great  crowds  flocked  to  welcome  them,  presenting  costly 
gifts  to  Isabella  and  some  of  her  followers. 

On  the  7th  of  January  parliament  met  and  decided  to 
remove  their  absent  sovereign,  proclaiming  the  Prince  of 
Wales  King  of  England  by  the  title  of  Edward  III.  When 
this  was  made  known  to  the  queen  she  pretended  to  be 
very  much  distressed,  and  actually  forced  herself  to  shed 
tears,  though  it  was  precisely  what  she  had  worked  for. 
But  she  overacted  her  part,  and  her  counterfeit  tears  so 
deceived  her  son  that  he  made  a  solemn  vow  not  to  accept 
the  crown  unless  his  royal  father  should  willingly  resign  it 
to  him. 

This  was  awkward ;  for  how  could  a  committee  wait 
upon  the  king  to  ask  him  to  abdicate  ?  But  young  Edward 
adhered  to  his  resolution,  and  a  dozen  commissioners  were 
appointed  by  Isabella  to  demand  of  the  fallen  monarch  his 
crown,  sceptre,  and  the  rest  of  the  regalia. 

They  proceeded  to  Kenilworth  Castle,  where  Edward 
was  kept  as  a  state  prisoner,  and  in  a  cruel,  heartless  man- 
ner pointed  out  to  him  the  errors  he  had  committed  as 
their  reason  for  desiring  him  to  resign  his  crown.  Edward 
listened  to  the  mortifying  recital  and  wept  bitterly.  At 
length  he  replied,  "  that  he  knew  he  was  punished  for  his 
many  sins,  and  was  grieved  for  having  incurred  the  hatred 
of  his  people.  He  was  glad  his  eldest  son  was  so  gracious 
in  their  sight,  and  gave  them  thanks  for  choosing  him  to 
be  their  king."  Although  the  poor  monarch  had  fainted 
during  this  interview,  he  failed  to  arouse  the  sympathy  of 
the  commissioners. 

Edward  II.  was  by  no  means  a  bad  man,  for  his  chief 


1326.  Isabella  of  France.  209 

faults  were  those  of  judgment,  and  at  times  want  of  dig- 
nity, which  led  him  to  engage  in  boyish  frolics,  and  occa- 
sionally to  drink  to  excess. 

[A.D.  1326.]  On  the  following  Christmas  day,  1326, 
young  King  Edward,  who  was  just  fifteen  years  of  age, 
was  crowned  in  Westminster  Abbey.  Then  twelve  bishops 
and  nobles  were  appointed  to  advise  and  assist  the  youth- 
ful sovereign  in  affairs  of  state.  The  queen  offered  no 
objection,  but  as  she  had  the  military  power  in  her  own 
hands  she  made  Roger  Mortimer  her  prime  minister,  and 
demanded  an  enormous  sum  of  money  for  her  own  use. 
She  sent  presents  and  deceitful  messages  full  of  affection 
to  her  husband,  who  in  return  wrote  to  request  the  favor 
of  being  once  more  permitted  to  see  her  and  his  son.  But 
Isabella  was  never  softened  towards  him,  though  she  was, 
to  a  great  extent,  the  cause  of  his  unfortunate  situation. 
She  was  so  thoroughly  hard-hearted  that,  when  she  heard 
he  was  kindly  treated  at  Kenilworth,  she  had  him  removed 
from  one  place  to  another  under  the  care  of  two  brutal 
fellows  whose  cruelties  were  too  horrible  to  mention.  One 
night,  just  a  year  after  the  queen's  return,  Edward  II.  was 
put  to  death  by  her  order  in  Berkeley  Castle,  and  buried 
privately.  Then  the  nation  became  indignant;  many  of 
Isabella's  friends  deserted  her  when  they  found  that  they 
had  been  the  tools  of  an  artful,  ambitious,  depraved 
woman,  and  a  strong  party  was  organized  to  get  rid  of  her. 
She  had  committed  more  crimes  in  one  year  than  the  late 
king  and  his  ministers  had  done  in  twenty,  though  she  pre- 
tended to  be  a  reformer. 

She  was  a  cruel  hypocrite,  planning,  with  the  slyness  of 
a  cat,  the  destruction  of  each  member  of  the  royal  family. 
Knowing  that  the  Earl  of  Kent  was  most  miserable  on 
account  of  the  part  he  had  taken  in  her  proceedings,  she 
caused  somebody  to  tell  him  that  his  brother  was  not  dead. 


2IO 


TJie  Queens  of  England. 


but  a  prisoner  at  Corfe  Castle.  The  earl  employed  a  friar 
to  inquire  whether  this  was  true.  He  was  assured  that  it 
was,  and  had  shown  to  him  at  a  distance  a  person  seated 


EDWARD   II.    AND   HIS   JAILERS. 


at  a  table  so  disguised  as  to  resemble  the  dead  king.  The 
earl  then  went  to  the  castle  and  requested  the  governor  to 
conduct  him  to  his  brother's  apartment.    The  governor  did 


TOMB  OF    EDWARD    II.,   GLOUCESTER   CATHEDRAL. 


1326.  Isabella  of  France.  213 

not  deny  that  Edward  was  in  the  castle,  but  said  that  he 
was  not  permitted  to  let  any  one  see  him,  upon  which  the 
earl  wrote  a  letter  to  be  conveyed  to  the  supposed  pris- 
oner. This  letter  was  immediately  carried  to  the  queen, 
who  used  it  as  a  pretence  for  the  earl's  arrest,  and  after  an 
absurd  trial  he  was  unjustly  condemned  to  die.  His 
estates  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mortimer's  son. 

By  this  time  Roger  Mortimer  had  made  himself  so 
offensive  with  his  haughty  display  and  his  cruelty  that  the 
king  had  him  arrested  and  locked  up  in  the  Tower.  A  few 
days  later  he  was  executed  with  several  of  his  friends,  and 
his  body  hung  on  the  gallows  at  Tyburn  for  two  days. 

Having  thus  rid  himself  of  his  worst  enemy,  Edward  IH. 
ordered  his  mother  to  live  at  Castle  Rising,  where,  with 
plenty  of  people  to  wait  on  her,  and  everything  to  make 
her  comfortable,  she  passed  her  time  quietly,  having  no 
chance  to  scheme  or  plot  against  the  government. 

There  she  remained  for  about  twenty-seven  years,  receiv- 
ing occasional  visits  from  her  son,  who  never  permitted  her 
name  to  be  mentioned  in  his  presence,  excepting  with  great 
respect. 

[A.D.  1358.]  She  died  in  1358,  and  was  buried  by 
Edward  III.  with  much  ceremony  at  Grey  Friars'  Church, 
her  body  being  attired  in  the  uniform  of  that  order  of 
nuns. 

A  fine  alabaster  tomb  was  erected  to  her  memory,  the 
only  inscription  thereon  being : 

"ISABELLA   REGINA." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PHILIPPA    OF    HAINAULT,    QUEEN   OF   EDWARD    III. 
(A.D.  13H-1369). 

When  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales,  was,  with  his  mother, 
compelled  to  seek  refuge  at  the  house  of  the  Count  of 
Hainault  (of  which  we  have  given  an  account  in  the  story 
of  Isabella  of  France),  he  fell  violently  in  love  with  the 
count's  second  daughter,  Philippa,  and  she  returned  his 
affection.  She  was  only  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  he  a  few 
months  older,  but  they  formed  an  attachment  that  lasted 
throughout  their  lives.  Philippa  was  a  brilliant  Flemish 
beauty,  whose  excellent  heart  and  lovable  disposition 
endeared  her  to  all  who  knew  her.  Later,  as  Queen  of 
England,  she  proved  a  blessing  to  that  country  by  the 
wisdom  and  good  judgment  she  displayed  in  encouraging 
manufactures  and  trade.  But  before  she  assumed  that 
position  she  was  doomed  to  many  months  of  anxiety  and 
uncertainty;  for  her  young  lover,  after  only  a  fortnight's 
enjoyment  of  her  society,  departed  on  the  dangerous  expe- 
dition of  invading  his  father's  kingdom.  There  was 
considerable  doubt  as  to  whether  he  would  ever  return, 
because  not  only  were  the  affairs  of  his  country  in  such 
a  condition  that  he  could  not  foretell  what  turn  they  might 
take,  but  the  relatives  of  both  the  lovers  might  interpose 
many  objections  to  their  union. 

It  was  not  the  custom  in  those  days  for  the  heir  of 
England  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  made  his  choice  of  a 
wife  without  first  consulting  his  parliament  and  councillors, 

214 


riiiLIPPA    OF    HAl.NACi-i. 


1327.  Philippa  of  Hainault.  217 

but  young  Edward  imparted  his  secret  to  his  mother,  and, 
as  she  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  pretty  Philippa,  she 
promised  to  aid  him  as  best  she  could.  Therefore  as  soon 
as  possible  after  her  return  home  she  led  the  public  authori- 
ties to  decide  that  one  of  the  four  daughters  of  the  Count 
of  Hainault  would  be  the  most  desirable  alliance  for  her 
son,  but  without  naming  which  one.  However,  we  may  be 
very  sure  that  the  young  man  gave  his  own  private  instruc- 
tions to  his  messengers,  for  they  made  no  mistake  in  their 
choice,  nor  is  it  likely  that  he  would  risk  trusting  entirely 
to  their  discretion  as  to  which  of  the  young  Hainault 
ladies  would  prove  most  worthy  to  become  Queen  of 
England. 

The  messengers  applied  first  to  Sir  John,  Philippa's 
uncle,  who  had  been  in  England  fighting  the  cause  of  the 
new  king,  and  requested  his  assistance  in  the  selection  of 
a  wife  for  their  young  sovereign.  Sir  John  received  them 
with  all  the  honors  he  could  lavish,  and  gave  them  the 
most  sumptuous  feasts  and  splendid  entertainments  of  all 
sorts.  After  several  days  spent  in  this  manner,  he  con- 
ducted them  to  Valenciennes,  where  they  were  equally  well 
received  at  his  brother's  house.  A  special  dispensation 
was  required  from  the  Pope,  because  the  two  mothers  of 
the  lovers  were  cousins ;  so  messengers  were  sent  to  obtain 
it,  which  they  did  without  much  difficulty. 

[A.D.  1327.]  As  soon  as  Edward  heard  that  all  neces- 
sary arrangements  had  been  completed,  he  ordered  the 
marriage  ceremony  to  be  performed  at  Valenciennes, 
though  as  he  was  engaged  in  a  war  on  the  Scottish  border 
with  the  renowned  Robert  Bruce,  he  could  not  be  present. 
In  the  absence  of  the  bridegroom,  the  wedding  must  have 
been  rather  a  tame  affair,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and 
preparations  were  made  for  a  grand  display.  The  costume 
and  equipage  of  the  bride  were  unusually  costly  and  elegant, 


21 8  The  Queens  of  Engla7id. 

no  expense  or  pains  being  spared  to  render  the  lestival 
worthy  of  the  wealthy  country  in  which  it  was  given. 

Afterwards  Philippa,  accompanied  by  her  Uncle  John 
and  a  large  retinue,  proceeded  to  Dover,  and  then  to 
London,  where  a  solemn  procession  of  the  clergy  introduced 
her  into  the  city,  and  she  was  presented  by  the  lord  mayor 
with  a  service  of  silver  worth  three  hundred  pounds  as  a 
marriage  gift.  The  city  was  illuminated,  and  there  were 
great  rejoicings,  feasts  and  public  entertainments  of  all 
sorts,  that  were  kept  up  for  three  weeks  after  the  bride's 
arrival. 

She  did  not  stay  long  in  London,  however,  but  hurried 
on  to  York  to  meet  her  husband,  being  received  with 
honors  at  every  town  through  which  she  passed.  All  the 
parliament  and  royal  council  assembled  at  the  union  of  the 
young  king  and  his  bride,  as  well  as  a  hundred  of  the 
principal  nobility  of  Scotland,  who  came  to  conclude  a 
final  peace  with  England. 

Nothing  is  said  about  the  bride's  marriage  dowry,  because 
the  queen-mother  had  already  got  possession  of  it  and 
spent  it.  She  had  besides  so  managed  to  get  hold  of  the 
public  funds  that  the  young  sovereign  of  England  was 
nearly  penniless.  The  following  summer  was  passed  by 
the  new  couple  at  Woodstock,  the  beautiful  country  residence 
which  was  the  favorite  home  of  Philippa  so  long  as  Isabella, 
the  queen-mother,  and  Mortimer  ruled  the  kingdom. 

Sir  John  of  Hainault  returned  to  his  native  land  laden  with 
jewels  and  rich  presents,  almost  all  of  his  countrymen  accom- 
panying him.  Among  the  few  who  remained  behind  was  a 
youth  named  Sir  Walter  Mauny,  whose  office  was  to  carve 
for  Philippa.  He  became  one  of  the  first  Knights  of  the 
Garter,  an  order  established  by  Edward  IIL,  of  which  we 
shall  hear  later. 

[A.D.  1330.]     The  coronation  of  the  young  queen  did 


I330. 


Philippa  of  Hainault. 


219 


not  take  place  for  nearly  two  years  after  her  marriage. 
All  the  customary  duties  were  performed  on  that  occasion, 
but  the  ceremony  was  remarkable  for  the  absence  of  dis- 
play on  account  of  the  emptiness  of  the  treasury. 

The  queen-mother,  with  her  favorite,  Mortimer,  had  used 
up  all  the  public  funds  for  their  own  support,  but  young 
Edward  was  not  going  to  stand  such  a  state  of  aifairs  much 


longer,  and  before  the  close  of  the  year  he  had  liberated 
himself  from  his  wicked  mother's  control  and  executed  her 
favorite. 

With  the  reins  of  government  in  his  own  hands,  the 
young  king,  aided  by  his  good  and  sensible  wife,  set  to 
work  to  reform  the  abuses  of  his  mother's  reign  and  to 
establish  most  excellent  and  satisfactory  laws. 

Edward  had  a  very  violent  temper,  which  would  have  led 
him  to  commit  many  an  act  of  cruelty  and  injustice  had  it 
not  been  for  the  influence  of  his  kind-hearted,  virtuous 
wife. 


220  The  Queens  of  England. 

[A.D,  1330.]  Her  eldest  son,  Edward,  sumamed  the 
Black  Prince  on  account  of  the  color  of  the  armor  he  wore 
in  battle,  was  born  while  she  was  living  at  Woodstock,  and 
in  celebration  of  that  event  a  grand  tournament  was 
arranged  to  take  place  in  London.  Philippa,  with  all  the 
noble  ladies,  was  invited  to  attend.  The  preparations 
were  on  a  much  grander  scale  than  usual,  thirteen  knights 
being  engaged  on  either  side.  The  arena  was  covered 
with  sand  to  prevent  the  horses'  feet  from  slipping ;  flags 
and  banners  were  ingeniously  arranged  as  decorations,  and 
a  temporary  platform  was  erected  and  ornamented  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  queen  and  her  ladies.  No  sooner 
were  they  all  seated  than  the  scaffolding  gave  way,  and 
they  tumbled  pell-mell  to  the  ground.  Fortunately  the 
platform  was  not  high,  and  nobody  was  hurt,  but  the  ladies 
were  terribly  frightened,  and,  for  a  few  moments,  the  con- 
fusion and  excitement  were  very  great. 

The  king  flew  into  a  perfect  fury  and  vowed  that  the 
careless  carpenters  should  instantly  be  put  to  death.  This 
was  rather  a  severe  sentence,  particularly  as  the  damage 
was  slight,  and  so  Philippa  considered  it,  for  scarcely  had 
she  recovered  from  her  fright  than  she  threw  herself  on  her 
knees  before  her  angry  husband,  and  pleaded  with  angelic 
sweetness  for  the  pardon  of  the  poor  men.  Edward  soon 
became  calm  under  the  influence  of  her  gentle  voice  and 
words,  and  forgave  the  offenders. 

Up  to  this  time  all  the  wool  grown  in  England  had  been 
sent  to  the  Netherlands  to  be  manufactured  into  cloth,  and 
Philippa  remembered  what  a  source  of  profit  and  occupa- 
tion it  had  been  for  her  own  country.  She  therefore  set  to 
work  to  establish  a  manufacturing  colony  at  Norwich,  and  a 
letter  was  sent  to  John  Kemp  of  Flanders,  cloth-weaver, 
in  which  he  is  informed,  "  that  if  he  will  come  to  England 
with  the  servants  and  apprentices  of  his  mystery,  and  with 


1335-  Philippa  of  Hainaidt,  221 

his  goods  and  chattels,  and  with  any  dyers  who  may  be  will- 
ing to  accompany  him  beyond  the  seas,  and  exercise  their 
mysteries  in  the  kingdom  of  England,  they  shall  have  letters 
of  protection  and  assistance  in  their  settlement." 

[A.D.  1335.]  He  came,  and  was  the  patriarch  of  the 
Norwich  woollen  manufactories.  Philippa  often  visited  the 
colony,  which  soon  brought  considerable  wealth  into  the 
country,  encouraging  the  work  by  her  patronage,  and,  like 
a  beneficent  queen  of  the  hive  cherishing  and  protecting 
the  working  bees,  she  made  a  law  that  no  woollen  clothes 
should  be  worn  except  those  made  in  England.  Besides 
the  occupation  which  she  thus  provided  for  hundreds  of  her 
subjects,  this  young  queen  displayed  unusual  foresight  for 
a  woman  of  her  age  in  the  tournament  exhibitions  she  held 
at  Norwich,  by  which  she  gave  the  citizens  assurance  of 
gallant  protection  on  the  part  of  the  nobility  in  case  of 
need.  These  festivities  brought  together  the  workers  and 
the  defenders  of  the  nation,  and  Queen  Philippa  set  them 
the  example  of  mutual  respect.  Edward  III.  did  not  often 
accompany  his  wife  on  her  visits  to  Norwich,  but  usually 
passed  the  time  of  her  absence  with  his  unhappy  mother 
at  Castle  Rising. 

In  1333  Edward  again  commenced  a  furious  war  on  Scot- 
land. His  faithful  Philippa  went  with  him  as  far  as  she 
could,  and  while  he  laid  siege  to  Berwick  took  up  her  resi- 
dence at  Bamborough  Castle.  It  was  during  this  siege 
that  the  king  committed  a  deed  so  atrocious  that  it  must 
forever  be  a  dark  stain  upon  his  character.  Douglas,  the 
defender  of  Scotland,  left  King  Edward  before  Berwick 
and  made  a  forced  march  to  the  castle  that  contained  Queen 
Philippa,  hoping  to  frighten  the  king  and  to  force  him  to 
fly  to  her  assistance.  But  he  was  mistaken,  for  Edward 
had  too  much  confidence  in  the  strength  of  the  castle  and 
the  firmness  of  his  wife  to  budge.     It  is  probable  tliough 


222  The  Queens  of  England. 

that  this  attempt  to  capture  Philippa  aggravated  his  fero- 
cious temper  and  prompted  him  to  the  cruel  deed  to  which 
we  have  referred.  The  two  young  Seatons,  sons  of  the 
Governor  of  Berwick,  had  been  taken  as  prisoners,  and  the 
king  had  them  put  to  death  because  the  father  refused  to 
surrender  the  town.  His  object  was  to  take  Berwick  by  a 
desperate  blow  and  fly  to  the  relief  of  his  queen,  and  he 
succeeded,  for  the  poor  grief-stricken  father  of  the  Seatons 
was  so  perfectly  stunned  by  the  infamous  murder  of  his 
boys,  that  he  could  offer  no  further  resistance.  Douglas 
and  Edward  fought  not  far  from  Berwick,  where  the  former 
was  killed  and  the  king  entered  the  town  in  triumph  with 
Philippa  at  his  side. 

During  the  queen's  residence  in  the  north  of  England 
quite  an  amusing  circumstance  occurred.  King  Edward 
had  returned  from  Scotland,  and  his  wife,  who  had  been 
separated  from  him  for  a  long  time,  went  as  far  as  Dur- 
ham to  welcome  him  back.  He  lodged  at  St.  Cuthbert's 
Priory  near  the  castle.  After  supper  the  queen  entered 
her  husband's  apartments,  where,  feeling  fatigued  from  her 
journey,  she  hoped  to  have  a  good  night's  rest.  Scarcely 
had  she  undressed  than  there  came  a  loud  knocking  at  her 
door.  Upon  opening  it  several  monks  presented  themselves 
with  a  pathetic  appeal  to  her  not  to  offend  their  holy  pa- 
tron St.  Cuthbert,  who  during  his  life  avoided  the  fair  sex 
and  would  be  dreadfully  angry  if  one  of  them,  no  matter 
how  high  her  rank,  should  sleep  beneath  the  roof  of  his 
convent.  The  pious  Philippa  was  distressed  at  the  idea 
of  having  unintentionally  displeased  the  saint,  and  fled  in 
her  night-clothes  to  the  castle,  which  was  fortunately  not  far 
away. 

[A.D.  1336.]  About  this  time  Count  William  of  Hai- 
nault  died  of  gout,  and  Edward  thus  lost  the  liberal  supplies 
that  he  had  always  counted  on  from  that  source.     The  Eng- 


1336-  Philippa  of  Hainault.  223 

lish  people  of  that  period  chose  always  to  be  at  war ;  but 
expected  their  monarchs  to  pay  the  costs.  Edward  was 
reduced  to  such  extreme  poverty  that  he  was  forced  to  pledge 
his  wife's  crown  for  twenty-five  hundred  pounds,  at  the 
beginning  of  his  long  war,  and  during  his  whole  reign  the 
crown  jewels  were  seldom  out  of  pawn.  He  had  been 
engaged  in  a  naval  battle  with  France  since  his  victories  in 
Scotland,  and  in  1340  found  himself  bankrupt.  By  that 
time  Philippa  had  several  children,  and  was  residing  in  the 
Tower,  where  she  devoted  herself  to  their  education  with 
her  usual  good  sense. 

Now  we  must  see  how  Edward  was  led  to  establish  the 
Order  of  the  Garter.  Wark  Castle  was  under  the  guardian- 
ship of  the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  who,  while  King  Edward  was 
encamped  near  Berwick,  was  taken  prisoner.  The  Countess 
of  Salisbury  was  then  left  alone  at  the  castle  with  her  young 
nephew,  and  it  was  besieged  by  the  King  of  Scotland. 
Becoming  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  danger  she  sent  the 
youth  to  seek  assistance  of  Edward  who  immediately  replied 
in  person.  At  his  appearance  the  siege  was  raised,  and  the 
countess,  to  prove  her  gratitude,  ordered  the  gates  to  be 
thrown  open,  and  received  the  king  with  great  honors.  She 
courtesied  low,  thanked  her  preserver  warmly  for  his  prompt 
aid,  and  conducted  him  into  the  castle,  where  he  and  all 
his  knights  and  attendants  were  entertained  sumptuously. 
Everybody  was  struck  with  the  countess'  noble  deportment 
and  affable  behavior,  and  the  king  was  charmed  with  her 
grace  and  beauty. 

While  he  was  dancing  with  her  after  the  banquet  she  gave 
in  his  honor  she  unfortunately  dropped  her  garter,  and  was 
overcome  with  confusion,  but  Edward  with  his  usual 
gallantry  picked  it  up  and,  holding  it  aloft,  said :  "  Honi 
soit  qui  fnal y pense,''^  "evil  to  him  who  evil  thinks."  In 
commemoration  of  this  event,  and  out  of  compliment  to  the 


224  ^^^  Queens  of  England. 

countess,  he  established  an  order  called  the  Knights  of  the 
Garter.  The  queen  attended  the  first  meeting  of  this  order 
at  Windsor,  on  which. occasion  all  the  knights  were  accom- 
panied by  their  ladies,  who  wore  the  badge  with  the  motto 
the  king  had  proposed  as  a  bracelet  on  their  left  arm.  The 
object  of  this  order  of  knighthood  was  to  assist  distre::sed 
ladies,  and  after  it  was  well  established  the  king  announced 
his  intention  of  going  to  the  aid  of  the  Countess  de 
Montfort,  who  was  trying  to  uphold  the  cause  of  her  infant 
son  against  the  whole  power  of  France,  while  her  husband 
was  a  prisoner  in  the  tower  of  the  Louvre.  He  appointed 
Philippa  regent,  with  the  Earl  of  Kent  as  her  assistant,  and 
departed  for  France  with  his  son  Edward,  then  only  sixteen 
years  of  age.  At  the  battle  of  Cressy,  which  had  occurred 
during  the  siege  of  Calais,  this  boy  proved  himself  a  true 
hero. 

During  the  king's  absence,  David  of  Scotland  advanced 
into  England  and  set  fire  to  the  suburbs  of  York.  Philippa 
hastened  in  person  to  the  relief  of  her  northern  subjects, 
and  took  up  her  residence  at  Newcastle.  On  the  following 
day  the  King  of  Scots,  with  forty  thousand  men,  halted 
within  three  miles  of  the  town,  and  sent  word  to  the 
queen  that  if  her  men  were  willing  he  would  wait  and  give 
them  battle.  She  replied :  "  that  her  barons  would  risk 
their  lives  for  the  realm  of  their  lord,  the  king." 

When  her  army  drew  up  in  order  of  battle  she  rode 
among  them  mounted  on  her  white  charger,  entreating  the 
men  "  to  fight  manfully  for  the  love  of  God."  They 
promised  to  do  the  utmost  in  their  power,  and  the  queen 
withdrew  after  commending  them  "to  the  protection  of 
Grod  and  St.  George." 

Philippa  had  the  moral  courage  becoming  in  a  woman, 
and  as  soon  as  she  had  done  all  that  a  great  queen  could 
do  for  the  encouragement  of  her  army,  she  left  the  battle- 


1336-  Philippa  of  Hainault.  225 

field,  which  was  no  place  for  her,  and  retired  to  pray  foi 
her  invaded  kingdom. 

Her  army  gained  the  victory,  and  King  David  was 
taken  prisoner  by  a  squire  named  John  Copeland,  who  rode 
off  with  him  and  refused  to  give  him  up.  This  displeased 
Philippa,  who  the  next  day  wrote  to  the  squire  commanding 
him  to  surrender  the  King  of  Scots  to  her  forthwith.  He 
replied,  "  that  he  would  not  give  up  his  royal  prisoner  to 
a  woman  but  only  to  his  own  lord.  King  Edward,  for  to  him 
he  had  sworn  allegiance  and    not  to  any  woman." 

The  queen  was  troubled  at  this  obstinacy,  and  wrote  all 
about  it  to  the  king,  who  ordered  John  Copeland  to  come 
to  him  at  Calais  immediately.  When  Edward  saw  the 
squire  he  took  him  by  the  hand,  saying :  "  Ha !  welcome 
my  squire,  who  by  thy  valor  hast  captured  mine  adversary, 
the  King  of  Scots." 

John  Copeland  fell  on  one  knee  and  replied:  "If  God 
out  of  his  great  goodness  has  given  me  the  King  of  Scotland, 
and  permitted  me  to  conquer  him  in  arms,  no  one  ought 
to  be  jealous  of  it,  for  God  can,  if  He  please,  send  His 
grace  to  a  poor  squire  as  well  as  to  a  great  lord.  Sire,  do 
not  take  it  amiss  if  I  did  not  surrender  King  David  to  the 
orders  of  my  lady  queen,  for  I  hold  my  lands  of  you  and 
not  of  her,  and  my  oath  is  to  you  and  not  her,  unless  indeed 
through  choice." 

The  king  thanked  him  warmly  for  his  valor,  and  ordered 
him  to  go  home  and  hand  his  prisoner,  the  King  of  Scotland, 
over  to  Philippa,  adding,  "  and  I  assign  lands  as  near  your 
house  as  you  can  choose  them  to  the  amount  of  five 
hundred  pounds  a  year  for  you  and  your  heirs."  The  squire 
obeyed,  and  the  excuses  he  made  were  so  acceptable  to  the 
queen  that  she  bore  him  no  ill-will.  She  ordered  King 
David  to  be  conducted  in  grand  procession  through  the 
streets  mounted  on  a  tall  black  war-horse,  so  that  every  one 


226  The  Queens  of  Engla7td. 

might  know  him  and  recognize  him  in  case  he  attempted  to 
escape,  and  then  to  be  locked  up  in  the  Tower  of  London. 
Next  day,  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  her  ladies,  she 
sailed  for  Calais,  where  Edward  gave  a  magnificent  fite  to 
welcome  his  victorious  queen. 

Meantime  the  defenders  of  Calais  were  so  much  reduced 
by  famine  that  they  offered  to  surrender.  At  first  Edward 
resolved  to  kill  them  every  one,  but  in  compliance  with  the 
request  of  Sir  Walter  Mauny,  one  of  the  Knights  of  the  Gar- 
ter, who  begged  him  to  be  merciful,  he  softened  somewhat, 
and  sent  this  message  :  "  Tell  the  Governor  of  Calais  that 
the  garrison  and  inhabitants  shall  be  pardoned  excepting  six 
of  the  principal  citizens,  who  must  surrender  themselves  to 
death  with  ropes  round  their  necks,  bareheaded  and  bare- 
footed, bringing  the  keys  of  the  town  and  castle  in  their 
hands." 

Sir  Walter  carried  the  cruel  verdict  to  the  governor. 
He  wept  bitterly  ;  he  was  compelled,  however,  to  break  the 
dreadful  news  to  the  inhabitants,  who  at  the  loud  peals  of 
the  alarm-bell  assembled  in  the  town-hall.  When  they 
heard  the  king's  message,  they  broke  into  loud  lamentations 
of  grief  and  despair.  The  hardest  heart  could  not  have 
failed  to  be  touched  by  such  a  scene.  Men  stared  at  each 
other,  scarcely  knowing  what  to  say  or  do.  After  a  pause, 
Eustace  St.  Pierre,  the  most  wealthy  citizen  of  Calais,  arose 
and  offered  himself  as  one  of  the  six  to  make  the  horrible 
sacrifice  for  his  fellow-townsmen.  Five  others  followed 
this  noble  example  amid  the  blessings  and  thanks  of  the 
assembly,  and  the  number  was  completed.  Mounted  on  a 
horse,  the  governor  slowly  and  solemnly  conducted  them 
to  the  barriers,  where  Sir  Walter  Mauny  awaited  them,  and 
said  :  "  I  deliver  up  to  you,  as  Governor  of  Calais,  these  six 
citizens,  and  swear  to  you  they  are  the  most  wealthy  and 
respectable  men  of  the  town.     I  beg  of  you,  gentle  sir,  that 


PHILIPPA    ON    HER    KNEtS    BEFORE    THE    KING. 


134^'  Philippa  of  Hainatdt.  229 

you  would  beseech  the  king  that  they  may  not  be  put  to 
death." 

"  I  cannot  answer  what  the  king  will  do  with  them," 
replied  Sir  Walter ;  "  but  you  may  depend  upon  this,  that 
I  will  do  all  I  can  to  save  them." 

All  the  English  nobles  wept  at  the  sight  of  these  six  gen- 
tlemen as  they  knelt  before  the  king  and  begged  for  com- 
passion, but  Edward  eyed  them  angrily  and  ordered  their 
heads  to  be  struck  off  forthwith.  Some  of  the  knights 
entreated  the  king  to  be  more  merciful,  but  he  would  not 
listen  to  them,  and  sternly  repeated  his  order. 

At  that  moment  Philippa  appeared.  Falling  on  her  knees 
at  her  husband's  feet,  she  looked  up  into  his  face  with  tears -» 
in  her  eyes,  and  said  :  "  Ah,  gentle  sir,  since  I  crossed 
the  sea  with  great  peril  to  see  you  I  have  never  asked  you 
one  favor ;  now  I  most  humbly  ask  as  a  gift,  for  the  sake 
of  the  son  of  the  blessed  Mary,  and  as  a  proof  of  your  love 
to  me,  the  lives  of  these  six  men." 

King  Edward  looked  at  her  for  some  time  in  silence,  then 
replied  :  "  Ah,  lady,  I  wish  you  had  been  anywhere  else 
than  here  ;  you  have  entreated  in  such  a  manner  I  cannot 
refuse  you.  I  therefore  give  them  to  you  —  do  as  you  please 
with  them." 

Philippa  then  conducted  the  poor  men  to  her  own  apart- 
ments, where  their  halters  were  removed  from  their  necks 
and  they  were  served  with  an  excellent  dinner.  Afterwards 
she  saw  that  they  were  conducted  out  of  the  camp  in 
safety.  The  king  entered  Calais  and  took  possession  of 
the  castle,  where  proper  lodgings  had  been  prepared  for  him- 
self and  his  queen. 

[A.D.  1348.]  After  their  return  to  England,  in  1348,  an 
awful  epidemic,  called  the  "  black  death,"  visited  the  king- 
dom and  carried  off  the  king  and  queen's  second  daughter, 
Johanna,  a  princess  only  fifteen  years  old,  but  blessed  with 


230  The  Queens  of  England. 

so  many  charms  that  a  number  of  minstrels  had  chosen  her 
for  the  subject  of  their  verses.  What  made  the  event  more 
than  ordinarily  sad  was,  that  she  was  engaged  to  be  married, 
and  her  funeral  procession  occurred  at  the  ver}-  time  that 
had  been  fixed  for  the  wedding  ceremony.  This  was  a 
great  sorrow  to  the  royal  couple.  So  dreadful  was  the  pes- 
tilence that  every  household  in  London  was  afflicted  by  it, 
and  in  some  families  all  the  members  died. 

Before  this  horrible  visitation  Philippa  had  turned  her 
attention  to  the  working  of  the  coal  mines  in  England,  which, 
like  the  cloth  manufacture,  proved  an  industry  of  immense 
profit  to  the  nation,  besides  enriching  many  private  individ- 
uals. Wherever  this  great  queen  turned  her  patronage, 
prosperity  was  sure  to  follow,  and  her  subjects  loved  and 
trusted  her. 

[A.D.  1357.]  In  1357  the  English  gained  a  grand  vic- 
tory at  Poictiers,  and  the  Black  Prince  returned  with  many 
prisoners.  Among  them  was  one  Bertrand  Du  Guesclin. 
One  day  when  Queen  Philippa  was  entertaining  at  her 
court  a  number  of  the  noble  French  prisoners,  the  Prince 
of  Wales  proposed  that  Du  Guesclin  should  name  his  own 
ransom,  adding  that  whatever  sum  he  mentioned  should  set 
him  free.  The  warrior  named  a  hundred  thousand  crowns. 
The  Prince  of  Wales  was  astonished  at  such  a  sum,  and 
asked  how  he  could  raise  it.  "  I  know  a  hundred  knights," 
replied  Du  Guesclin,  "  in  my  native  Bretagne,  who  would 
mortgage  their  last  acre  rather  than  have  me  languish  in 
captivity  or  be  rated  below  my  value.  Yea,  and  there  is 
not  a  woman  in  France  now  toiling  with  her  distaff  who 
would  not  devote  a  year's  earnings  to  liberate  me,  for  well 
have  I  deserved  of  their  sex.  And  if  all  the  fair  spinners 
of  France  employ  their  hands  to  redeem  me,  think  you, 
prince,  that  I  shall  abide  much  longer  with  you  ? " 

Queen  Philippa,  who  had  listened  to  this  conversation 


TOMB    OF   EDWARU    III.,    WESTMINSTER. 


1369-  Philippa  of  Hainault.  233 

with  great  attention,  now  spoke  :  "  I  name,"  she  said,  "  fifty 
thousand  crowns,  my  son,  as  my  contribution  towards  your 
gallant  prisoner's  ransom  ;  for  though  an  enemy  to  my  hus- 
band, a  knight  who  is  famed  for  the  courteous  protection 
he  has  afforded  to  my  sex  deserves  the  assistance  of  every 
woman."  Du  Guesclin  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  the 
generous  queen,  saying  :  "  Ah,  lady,  being  the  ugliest  knight 
in  France,  I  never  reckoned  on  any  goodness  from  your  sex 
excepting  those  whom  I  protected  with  my  sword,  but  your 
bounty  will  make  me  think  less  despicably  of  myself." 
Philippa,  like  all  great  women,  honored  those  men  who  paid 
most  reverence  to  her  own  sex. 

After  a  lingering  illness,  she  sent  for  the  king  one  day 
when  she  knew  that  death  was  approaching.  Taking  his 
hand  in  her  own,  she  asked  him  to  grant  her  three  requests. 
He  promised  in  advance  with  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks. 
"  My  lord,"  she  said,  "  I  beg  you  will  fulfil  whatever  engage- 
ments I  have  made  with  the  merchants  for  their  wares,  as 
well  on  this  as  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea ;  I  beseech  you 
to  fulfil  whatever  gifts  or  legacies  I  have  made  or  left  to 
churches  and  to  all  my  servants,  whether  male  or  female ; 
and  when  it  shall  please  God  to  call  upon  you  hence,  you 
will  choose  no  other  sepulchre  than  mine,  and  that  you  will 
lie  by  my  side  in  the  cloisters  of  Westminster  Abbey." 
The  king  replied  :  "  Lady,  all  this  shall  be  done." 

[A.D.  1369.]  Shortly  after  she  died,  and  with  her  life 
departed  the  happiness,  good  fortune  and  even  respectability 
of  Edward  HI.  and  his  family.  Where  Philippa  had  once 
promoted  virtue,  justice  and  wisdom,  scenes  of  folly,  strife 
and  sorrow  now  followed  at  court.  One  of  the  chroniclers 
of  the  time  says  :  "  I  firmly  believe  that  her  spirit  was 
caught  by  holy  angels  and  carried  to  the  glory  of  Heaven, 
for  she  had  never  done  anything  by  thought  or  deed  to 
endanger  her  soul." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

ANNE   OF  BOHEMIA,   SURNAMED  THE   GOOD,   FIRS'J 
QUEEN   OF   RICHARD   II.     (A.D.   1367-1394.) 

The  marriage  of  King  Richard  II.  with  Anne  of  Bohemia 
gave  general  satisfaction  in  England,  and  proved  a  happy 
cna  in  every  respect.  At  the  coronation,  which  followed  a 
few  days  after,  the  young  bride  received  the  title  of  "  the 
good  Queen  Anne."  It  pained  her  to  see  the  distress  of 
the  unhappy  peasantry  caused  by  the  bloodshed  and  bar- 
barous executions  that  had  been  the  result  of  Wat  Tyler's 
insurrection.  She  compared  their  miserable  lot  with  her 
own  bright  and  joyous  one,  and  was  thus  prompted  to  ask 
a  great  favor  of  the  king.  Having  first  convinced  herself 
that  she  would  not  be  refused,  she  demanded  a  general 
pardon  for  all  malefactors.  Her  mediation  came  in  time 
to  save  the  life  of  many  an  unfortunate  creature,  and  sent 
a  thrill  of  happiness  through  scores  of  afflicted  households. 
No  wonder  then  that  she  was  called  "good  Queen  Anne," 
but  what  was  better  still,  she  never  forfeited  the  title. 

Queen  Anne  was  not  a  beauty,  but  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
when  she  became  King  Richard's  wife,  she  was  a  blooming, 
healthy  girl,  with  a  clear,  fresh  complexion  and  bright  eyes. 
She  had  a  high,  narrow  forehead,  long  upper  lip  and  fat 
cheeks,  but  the  remarkable  head-dress  she  wore  neutralized 
these  defects  somewhat.  It  was  a  cap  two  feet  high  and 
equally  wide,  scooped  out  at  the  top  so  as  to  leave  two 
high  points  resembling  horns.  This  structure  was  made 
of  wire  and  pasteboard,  covered  with  a  silky  gauze.  Though 
234 


1384-  Anne  of  Bohemia.  237 

hideously  ugly  and  excessively  uncomfortable,  it  was 
universally  adopted  by  the  English  ladies  in  compliment  to 
the  queen,  whose  taste  must  have  been  somewhat  defective 
if  she  was  responsible  for  the  device  or  crest  she  used,  and 
required  all  her  knights  to  wear  at  tournaments.  It 
consisted  of  an  ostrich,  that  most  ungraceful  of  birds, 
with  a  bit  of  iron  in  his  mouth.  But  Queen  Anne  intro- 
duced two  articles  into  England  that  were  no  doubt  grate- 
fully received  ;  one  was  the  ordinary  pin  which  we  of  the 
present  day  consider  indispensable ;  the  other  was  the 
side-saddle,  not  such  as  we  are  accustomed  to,  but  a  bench 
with  a  step  suspended  on  which  the  rider's  two  feet  were 
placed.  This  mode  of  riding  may  have  been  comfortable, 
but  the  horse  had  to  be  led  by  a  groom  because  it  was 
impossible  for  a  lady  to  handle  the  reins  herself. 

[A.D.  1384.]  At  a  festival  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter, 
in  1384,  Queen  Anne  wore  a  robe  of  violet  cloth  lined  with 
fur,  with  a  hood  of  the  same  material  faced  with  red.  All 
her  ladies  were  similarly  attired.  The  king,  who  was  quite 
a  dandy,  wore  on  that  occasion,  a  coat  embroidered  in 
precious  stones  that  cost  thirty  thousand  marks.  In  this 
reign  the  shoes  had  long-pointed  toes  of  an  absurd  length 
fastened  to  the  knees  with  gold  or  silver  chains,  that  must 
have  been  quite  an  annoyance  to  the  wearer.  But  Richard 
II.  was  very  luxurious  in  his  tastes  and  so  fond  of  spending 
money,  that  extravagant  costumes  were  invented  to  please 
him,  regardless  of  taste  or  convenience. 

Anne  of  Bohemia  did  not  spend  all  her  time  in  frivolous 
amusements,  for  she  read  the  Scriptures  in  her  native 
tongue,  and  may  be  considered  one  of  the  mothers  of  the 
Reformation.  It  is  possible  that  she  may  have  been 
influenced  by  her  mother-in-law,  Joanna,  the  Princess  of 
Wales,  whom  she  loved  very  much,  but  certain  it  is  that  when 
John  Wickliffe  was  in  danger  of  his  life,  at  the  council  of 


238  The  Queens  of  Englajid. 

Lambeth,  in  1382,  both  these  royal  ladies  implored  King 
Richard  to  aid  in  saving  that  reformer's  life. 

A  war  in  Scotland  called  the  king  from  home  when  he 
had  been  married  a  little  over  a  year,  and  while  he  was 
away,  his  half-brother,  John  Holland,  murdered  Lord 
Stafford.  The  cause  of  this  dreadful  crime  was  jealousy. 
Stafford  was  a  soldier  of  such  high  and  noble  character 
that  he  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  whole  English  army,  and 
so  chivalrous  that  the  queen  called  him  "  her  knight."  It 
was  when  on  his  way  with  messages  from  the  king  to  Anne 
that  the  encounter,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  the 
honored  earl,  took  place.  John  Holland  had  noticed  him, 
for  many  months,  with  increasing  envy,  which  led  him,  at 
last,  to  slay  one  who  had  not  given  the  slightest  provocation 
for  a  quarrel.  The  father  of  Stafford  was  so  distressed  at 
the  atrocious  murder  of  his  dearly-beloved  son,  that  King 
Richard,  prompted  by  the  old  man's  demand  for  justice, 
vowed  his  brother's  life  should  pay  the  forfeit  of  his  deed. 
Meanwhile  Holland  had  fled  to  the  shrine  of  St.  John  of 
Beverly,  and  kept  out  of  the  way  until  the  king  returned 
from  Scotland.  Then  Joanna,  Princess  of  Wales,  mother 
of  Richard  and  John  Holland,  pleaded,  with  tears  and 
lamentations,  to  one  son  for  the  life  of  another.  Before 
it  was  granted,  she  died,  and  the  king,  unable  to  refuse  her 
last  request,  pardoned  the  criminal,  who  started,  at  once, 
on  an  atoning  pilgrimage  to  Syria. 

The  queen  was  called  upon  to  act  as  mediator  again  in 
1387,  after  the  defeat  of  the  royal  troops  by  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester  and  young  Henry  of  Bolingbroke.  The  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  was  then  sent  to  the  king  to  propose 
a  treaty  of  peace,  but  was  absolutely  refused  admittance  to 
his  majesty's  presence  until  the  queen  persuaded  her 
husband  to  yield.  After  the  interview  the  royal  household 
removed  from  Bristol,  where  it  had  been  established  for 
several  months,  to  London. 


1389. 


Anne  of  Bohemia. 


239 


Parliament  opened  immediately,  and  the  Duke  of  Glou- 
cester, with  his  adherents,  established  a  reign  of  terror  that 
made  fidelity  to  the  king  and  queen  an  offence.  Several 
members  of  Queen  Anne's  household  were  selected  as  vic- 
tims, principally  because  they  favored  the  cause  of  the  Ref- 
ormation and  read  the  works  of  Wickliffe  and  Lollard. 
The  queen  spared  no  pains  in  trying  to  save  her  friends, 


HOUSES   ON    OLD    LONPON    BRIDGE. 


and  actually  went  on  her  knees  to  plead  for  the  life  of  Johi» 
Calverly,  one  of  her  esquires,  but  to  no  avail.  That  par- 
liament was  called  "  the  merciless,"  and  merited  the  title. 

The  succeeding  two  years  were  passed  by  the  royal  couple 
at  Shene,  a  favorite  summer  residence  because  of  the  beaut) 
of  the  surrounding  landscape. 

[A.D.  1389.]     At  the  meeting  of  parUament  in  1389  Rich- 


240  The  Queens  of  England. 

ard  asked  them,  "  how  old  he  was."  "  Twenty-two,"  was 
the  reply,  whereupon  he  declared  that  his  ancestors  had 
been  considered  of  age  much  earlier,  and  it  w  as  therefore 
his  intention  to  submit  to  control  no  longer.  A  sort  of  re- 
coronation  then  took  place  at  St.  Stephen's  Chapel,  when  the 
nobility  renewed  their  oaths  to  the  young  sovereign,  who 
thenceforth  governed  the  kingdom  himself. 

A  splendid  tournament  was  held  in  honor  of  this  event, 
over  which  Queen  Anne  presided.  Sixty  of  her  ladies, 
mounted  on  fine  horses,  each  led  by  a  knight,  rode,  to  the 
sound  of  the  trumpets,  and  attended  by  a  train  of  minstrels, 
through  the  streets  of  London.  When  they  arrived  at  the 
tilting-grounds  at  Smithfield,  they  passed  before  the  queen, 
who  was  already  seated  on  a  richly  decorated  stand,  then 
placed  themselves  on  either  side  of  her.  The  prizes  con- 
sisted of  a  richly  jewelled  clasp  and  a  gold  crown,  which 
the  queen  presented  to  the  victors  with  her  own  hands. 
At  the  close  of  the  match,  a  fine  banquet  was  served,  suc- 
ceeded by  dancing,  which  was  kept  up  until  a  late  hour  in 
the  night. 

[A.D.  1392.]  In  1392  King  Richard  applied  to  the  cit- 
izens of  London  for  a  loan  of  a  thousand  pounds.  It  was 
refused,  but  a  wealthy  Italian  came  forward  and  offered 
the  whole  of  the  sum,  whereupon  a  mob  set  upon  the  unfor- 
tunate money-lender  and  tore  him  to  pieces.  Such  a  for- 
midable riot  was  the  result  of  this  outrage  that  Richard 
took  away  the  city  charter  and  removed  the  law  courts  to 
York.  This  was  a  dilemma  that  had  not  been  counted  on, 
and  occasioned  so  much  distress  and  disturbance  that 
Queen  Anne  was  again  called  upon  to  act  as  mediator. 
This  time  she  merely  persuaded  her  husband  to  make  a  pub- 
lic passage  through  London  with  her,  trusting  to  the  citizens 
to  do  their  part,  which  she  would  follow  up  with  her  request 
at  the  proper  moment. 


1392-  Anne  of  Bohemia.  241 

,  The  king,  with  his  escort,  appeared  first  in  the  procession, 
then  followed  the  queen  and  her  ladies.  She  wore  her 
crown,  a  robe  of  rich  velvet,  and  a  large  collar  of  precious 
stones  that  blazed  in  the  sunlight  as  she  moved  along.  The 
procession  halted  at  Southwark  bridge,  where  it  was  wel- 
comed by  the  lord-mayor  and  other  authorities,  followed  by 
representatives  of  every  branch  of  trade  carrying  various 
devices.  There  the  king  was  presented  with  a  pair  of  snow- 
white  horses,  covered  with  trappings  of  gold  cloth  to  which 
silver  bells  were  attached.  The  queen  received  a  beautiful 
white  palfrey,  and  after  listening  to  a  long  speech  by  the 
lord  mayor,  the  procession  moved  on.  All  the  streets 
through  which  they  passed  were  hung  with  flags,  banners 
and  rich  tapestry,  the  public  fountains  flowed  with  wine. 
At  different  points  bands  of  music  and  singers  were  stationed, 
the  latter  strewing  the  path  with  fresh  flowers  as  the  royal 
couple  approached.  Some  rare  and  valuable  gifts  were 
presented,  among  which  was  a  tablet  set  in  jewels  with  the 
crucifixion  engraved  thereon.  The  king  took  it  in  his 
hand  and  said  :  "  Peace  be  to  this  city  !  "  Another  was 
handed  to  the  queen  bearing  a  request  that  she  would  not 
fail  to  plead  for  the  king's  pardon.  She  cast  her  eyes  over 
it  and  said,  with  a  confident  air,  "  leave  all  to  me." 

On  arriving  at  Westminster  Palace,  the  king  entered  first, 
and  proceeding  to  the  great  hall,  mounted  the  throne,  sceptre 
in  hand,  and  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  queen  and  the  rest 
of  the  procession.  After  all  had  assembled,  her  majesty 
knelt  at  the  feet  of  her  royal  spouse  and  in  a  firm,  clear 
voice  made  an  humble  and  loving  appeal  that  the  charters 
and  liberties  of  his  penitent  subjects  might  be  restored. 

"  Be  satisfied,  dearest  wife,"  answered  Richard,  taking 
her  hand  and  raising  her  from  her  lowly  position,  "  loth 
should  we  be  to  deny  thee  any  reasonable  request.  Mean- 
time ascend,  and  sit  beside  me  on  my  throne,  while  I  speak 
a  few  words  to  my  people." 


242 


The  Queens  of  England. 


His  majesty  then  addressed  the  lord-mayor,  thanked  him 
for  the  exhibition  of  loyalty  that  had  been  made  that  day,  as 
well  as  for  the  costly  presents  made  to  himself  and  his  wife, 
bade  him  keep  the  peace  of  the  city,  and  handed  him  back 
the  key  and  sword  of  his  office.  This  reconciliation  cost 
the  city  ten  times  as  much  as  the  loan  their  sovereign  had 
required.  King  Richard  was  preparing  for  a  campaign  in 
Ireland  in  the  June  of  1394  when  his  beloved  wife  was  taken 
from  him.  She  died  at  Shene,  and  in  the  bitterness  of  his 
grief,  unable  to  bear  the  sight  of  the  palace  in  which  he  had 
spent  so  many  happy  hours  with  his  late  companion,  Rich- 
ard had  it  destroyed. 

The  body  of  Anne  of  Bohemia  was  carried  in  grand  pro- 
cession to  London  and  buried  at  Westminster. 

King  Richard  went  to  Ireland  shortly  after,  and  fre- 
quently in  the  council-chamber  of  Dublin  when  anything 
recalled  his  "good  Queen  Anne  "  to  his  thoughts  he  sud- 
denly would  burst  into  tears  and  leave  the  room. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

ISABELLA  OF  VALOIS,  SURNAMED  THE  LITTLE 
QUEEN,  SECOND  WIFE  OF  RICHARD  II.  (A.  D. 
1387-1410.) 

It  seems  strange  that  when  Richard  II.  reached  the  age 
of  thirty  he  should  have  had  a  fancy  to  share  his  throne 
with  a  child  of  nine,  yet  that  was  the  age  of  Isabella  of 
Valois  when  he  married  her. 

She  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Charles  VI.  of  France 
and  the  wicked  Isabeau  of  Bavaria ;  but  fortunately  she 
inherited  nothing  from  her  mother  but  her  beautiful  dark 
eyes  and  clear  olive  complexion  ;  her  goodness  and  lovely 
character  she  got  from  her  father. 

When  Richard  was  told  that  Isabella  was  too  young  for 
him,  he  replied  :  "  that  every  day  would  remedy  the  defi- 
ciency of  age,  and  her  youth  was  one  of  his  reasons  for 
preferring  her,  because  he  should  educate  her  to  his  own 
mind,  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  English ;  and 
thit,  as  for  himself,  he  was  young  enough  to  wait  for  her." 

[A.D.  1396.]  When  the  English  ambassadors  waited  on 
Isabella  to  solicit  her  hand  for  Richard,  one  of  them 
dropped  upon  his  knees  and  said :  "  Madam,  if  it  please 
God,  you  shall  be  our  lady  and  queen."  Without  any 
prompting,  the  little  maid  replied  ;  "  Sir,  if  it  please  God 
and  my  lord  and  father  that  I  be  Queen  of  England,  I 
shall  be  pleased  thereat,  for  I  have  been  told  I  shall  then 
be  a  great  lady." 

Her  appearance  and  manners  were  very  pleasing,  and 

243 


244  ^^^  Queens  of  England. 

from  the  time  when  it  was  proposed  that  she  should  marry 
Richard,  she  began  to  practise  how  to  behave  as  queen, 
though  she  could  not  prepare  herself  for  the  sad  experience 
that  awaited  her  in  that  exalted  position. 

King  Richard  went  to  Paris,  attended  by  a  retinue  of 
the  first  noblemen  of  his  realm,  to  claim  his  little  wife.  At 
a  magnificent  dinner  given  by  the  King  of  France,  the  last 
of  a  series  of  entertainments  that  had  been  held  in  honor 
of  his  royal  guest,  Isabella  was  presented  to  her  future 
lord.  Then,  attended  by  her  parents  and  the  whole  court, 
she  was  conveyed  in  a  rich  litter  to  Calais,  where  the 
marriage  ceremony  was  performed  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury.  "  The  little  queen,"  as  Isabella  was  called 
from  that  time,  made  a  public  entry  into  London  a  few 
days  later,  when  many  rich  and  beautiful  gifts  were  pre- 
sented to  her. 

The  bride's  marriage  portion  consisted  of  800,000  francs 
in  gold.  Her  trousseau  was  magnificent;  among  the 
gannents  was  a  robe  and  mantle  such  as  had  never  been 
seen  in  England  for  costliness.  It  was  composed  of 
crimson  velvet,  embossed  with  solid  gold  birds,  perched  on 
branches  of  real  pearls  and  emeralds.  Down  each  side  was 
a  border  of  miniver,  there  was  a  cape  and  hood  of  the  same 
fur,  and  the  mantle  was  lined  throughout  with  ermine. 
Another  robe  was  light  blue  velvet,  embroidered  with  pearl 
roses ;  the  little  lady  had  besides  coronets,  rings,  necklaces, 
and  buckles  worth  a  large  sum  of  money  and  beautiful 
enough  to  delight  the  heart  of  any  girl.  Her  bedroom 
curtains  were  of  red  and  white  satin  with  embroidered 
figures.  Isabella  was  crowned  at  Westminster  in  1397, 
when  she  was  just  ten  years  old  ;  then  she  went  to  reside 
at  Windsor,  where  her  education  was  continued  under  the 
guidance  of  Lady  de  Courcy. 

King  Richard  made  frequent  visits  to  his  little  wife,  each 


lSABfci.LA  OF   VAtOJS. 


1396-  Isabella  of  Valois.  247 

one  being  the  occasion  of  a  holiday  from  study,  and  of  a 
great  deal  of  pleasure  to  the  child  who  anticipated  the 
appearance  of  her  lord  with  no  little  impatience.  Richard 
was  always  courteous  and  gentle  in  his  manners  towards 
ladies,  and  had  a  lively  disposition,  which  rendered  him  a 
very  congenial  companion ;  besides,  he  dressed  with  such 
exquisite  taste  that  the  admiration  he  inspired  in  the  heart 
of  Isabella  warmed  into  an  affection  that  she  never  ceased 
to  entertain  for  him  as  long  as  he  lived. 

When  King  Richard  went  to  France  to  claim  his  bride, 
he  spent  so  much  money  that  he  found  himself  deeply 
involved  in  debt.  This  led  to  a  fierce  struggle  with  the 
party  headed  by  his  uncle,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  and  the 
Earl  of  Arundel.  At  last  Richard  would  bear  it  no  longer, 
so  he  managed  to  rid  himself  of  both  his  opponents.  This 
he  did  by  having  the  duke  treacherously  murdered,  and  the 
earl  illegally  executed. 

But  Richard  was  not  accustomed  to  such  cruel  deeds, 
and  hjs  conscience  troubled  him  to  such  a  degree  that  he 
would  often  start  up  from  his  bed  at  night  and  cry  out  in 
horror  :  "  That  his  bed  was  covered  with  the  blood  of  the 
earl."  The  sudden  death  of  Roger  Mortimer,  lord  deputy 
of  Ireland,  to  whom  Richard  was  warmly  attached,  called 
him  to  that  country  to  quell  the  rebellion  that  ensued. 

Before  his  departure  he  went  to  Windsor  to  bid  farewell 
to  Isabella ;  while  there  he  dismissed  Lady  de  Courcy  on 
account  of  excessive  extravagahce,  and  appointed  his  wid- 
owed niece.  Lady  Mortimer,  in  her  stead,  as  governess  and 
first  lady  of  honor  to  his  young  consort. 

The  parting  scene  between  the  royal  couple  was  very 
touching,  the  king  lifting  his  wife  up  in  his  arms  and  kiss- 
ing her  repeatedly  while  offering  words  of  hope  and  com- 
fort. 

Henry  of  Bolingbroke,  who  had  been  absent  from  Eng- 


248  The  Queens  of  EtiglaTid. 

land  for  several  years,  returned  while  Richard  was  away,  — 
a  most  unfortunate  circumstance  for  the  royal  cause.  The 
Duke  of  York,  who  acted  as  regent  in  the  king's  absence, 
was  alive  to  the  little  queen's  position,  and  hurried  her  off 
to  the  fortress  of  Wallingford. 

Attended  by  sixty  thousand  fighting  men,  Henry  of 
Bolingbroke  marched  through  England  and  presented  him- 
self before  the  very  gates  of  Flint  Castle,  where  Richard, 
with  a  handful  of  faithful  knights,  had  fortified  himself. 
Upon  Henry's  boldly  demanding  admittance  the  king  agreed 
to  allow  him,  with  eleven  others,  to  pass  the  wicket  of  the 
castle.  But  it  was  soon  evident  that  any  such  precaution 
was  unnecessary,  for  on  looking  out  of  the  window  the  king 
beheld  the  army  that  had  come  to  besiege  him,  and  surren- 
dered himself  at  once. 

While  King  Richard  and  Henry  of  Bolingbroke  stood  in 
the  courtyard  of  the  castle  waiting  for  their  horses.  Math, 
the  beautiful  greyhound  that  always  accompanied  the  king 
when  he  rode  out,  and  would  never  follow  nor  notice  any- 
one else,  suddenly  dashed  through  the  court,  leaped  upon 
Henry,  and  put  both  paws  on  his  shoulders,  as  he  had  been 
wont  to  do  to  the  king.  Henry  asked  the  meaning  of  his 
being  thus  selected  for  the  animal's  caresses.  "  Cousin," 
replied  the  king  sadly,  "  it  means  a  great  deal  for  you,  and 
very  little  for  me ;  for  the  natural  instinct  of  my  favorite 
dog  prompts  him  to  fondle  and  pay  his  court  to  you  as  King 
of  England,  which  you  will  be,  and  I  shall  be  deposed." 

Richard  was  taken  to  London  and  lodged  in  the  Tower, 
where  he  suffered  torment  because  he  could  get  no  infor- 
mation as  to  the  fate  of  his  Isabella.  After  a  time  he  offered 
to  resign  his  crown  to  Henry  of  Bolingbroke,  now  called 
the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  but  received  only  taunts  and 
reproaches  in  reply.  Meanwhile  "  the  little  queen  "  had 
been  removed  from  Wallingford  to  Leeds  Castle  in  Kent. 


139^.  Isabella  of  Valois.  249 

At  the  next  session  of  parliament,  the  members  remained 
seated  at  Westminster  Hall,  while  Henry,  with  a  number 
of  priests,  dukes,  and  earls  rode  to  the  Tower,  dismounted 
in  the  courtyard  and  entered  the  Hall,  Then  King  Rich- 
ard, on  being  summoned,  walked  in  with  his  crown  upon 
his  head  and  the  sceptre  in  his  hand,  and  addressed  the 
assembly  as  follows :  "  I  have  reigned  King  of  England, 
Duke  of  Aquitaine,  and  Lord  of  Ireland  about  twenty-two 
years;  which  royalty,  lordship,  sceptre,  and  crown,  I  now 
freely  and  willingly  resign  to  my  cousin,  Henry  of  Lancas- 
ter, and  entreat  of  him  in  the  presence  of  you  all  to  accept 
this  sceptre."  The  king  was  then  conducted  back  to  his 
apartments  in  the  Tower,  and  the  crown  and  sceptre  were 
safely  locked  away  in  the  treasury  of  Westminister  Abbey. 

The  following  October,  Henry  of  Lancaster  assembled 
parliament,  and  was  crowned  with  great  ceremony  as  Henry 
IV.  Isabella  had  been  removed  to  Sunning  Hill,  where 
she  was  treated  as  a  state  prisoner,  and  kept  in  ignorance 
of  the  fate  of  her  husband. 

Shortly  after  the  coronation  of  Henry  IV.  a  plot  against 
his  life  was  discovered,  and  then  the  fate  of  poor  Richard 
was  sealed,  as  we  shall  see. 

Henry's  attendants  kept  constantly  reminding  him,  by 
hints  and  insinuations,  that  as  long  as  Richard  lived  he 
could  not  reign  peaceably,  until  worn  out  with  care  and 
anxiety  he  wearily  asked  one  day  while  sitting  at  table  : 
"  Have  I  no  faithful  friend  who  will  deliver  me  of  one  whose 
life  will  be  my  death,  and  whose  death  my  life  ? "  After 
such  a  speech  from  the  king  it  was  not  likely  that  Richard's 
life  would  long  be  spared.  His  attendants  began  to  treat 
him  with  so  little  ceremony  at  last  that  the  royal  prisoner 
remarked  upon  it  one  day  when  he  was  dining ;  whereupon 
he  was  informed  that  King  Henr)'  had  given  new  orders. 

"The  devil  take  Henry  of  Lancaster  and  thee  together ! " 


250  The  Queens  of  England. 

exclaimed  Richard  in  a  passion,  striking  the  attendant  who 
had  answered  with  a  carving-knife.  At  that  instant  eight 
armed  men  rushed  into  the  room  ;  Richard  started  up,  seized 
the  weapon  that  the  one  nearest  to  him  ^eld,  and  defended 
himself  so  valiantly  that  four  of  the  attacking  party  were 
slain  outright.  Then  while  he  was  fiercely  warding  off  the 
blows  of  three  others,  the  leader  of  the  band  jumped  upon 
the  chair  Richard  had  occupied  while  dining,  and  dealt  him 
a  blow  on  the  back  of  his  head  that  killed  him  instantly. 

[A.D.  1339.]  Thus  fell  the  son  of  the  Black  Prince  at 
the  early  age  of  thirty-two,  and  Queen  Isabella  was  made 
a  widow  before  she  was  thirteen. 

The  King  of  France  was  suffering  from  an  attack  of 
insanity,  therefore  could  take  no  steps  for  the  restoration  of 
his  daughter,  but  the  French  council  requested  Henry  IV. 
to  allow  her  to  return  to  her  native  land. '  He  refused, 
saying  "  that  she  should  reside  in  England,  as  all  other 
queen-dowagers  had  done,  in  great  honor ;  and  that  if  she 
had  unluckily  lost  a  husband  she  should  be  provided  with 
another  who  would  be  young,  handsome,  and  in  every  way 
deserving  of  her  love,  that  person  being  no  other  than  the 
Prince  of  Wales."  But  Isabella  mourned  her  murdered 
spouse  so  sincerely  that  she  rejected  the  gallant  Henry  of 
Monmouth  and  no  longer  felt  any  pride  in  being  Queen  of 
Englanti. 

When  Charles  VI.  recovered,  he  sent  ambassadors  to 
inquire  into  the  condition  of  his  daughter  in  England,  and 
to  make  arrangements  for  her  return.  But  it  was  not  until 
late  in  July,  eighteen  months  after  the  death  of  Richard  II. 
that  his  widow  was  restored  to  her  parents.  Henry  had 
seized  her  jewels  and  dower,  and  refused  to  give  them  up. 

[A.D.  1402.]  The  goodness  and  amiable  disposition  of 
the  youthful  queen  had  won  the  affection  of  her  English 
ladies,  and  when  she  parted  from  them  they  wept  so  much 


i4ia  Isabella  of  Valois.  253 

that  she  was  obliged  to  comfort  them,  though  she,  too,  was 
in  tears. 

In  1406  Henry  IV.  again  proposed  for  the  hand  of  Isa- 
bella for  the  Prince  of  Wales,  declaring  that  if  the  marriage 
could  be  brought  about  he  would  abdicate  the  English  crown 
in  favor  of  his  son.  But  the  little  queen  had  meanwhile 
promised  to  marry  her  cousin,  Charles  of  Angouleme,  son 
of  the  Duke  of  Orleans.  An  unfavorable  answer  was  there- 
fore given  to  the  English  ambassadors,  who  were  very  much 
displeased  at  their  failure. 

Isabella  was  not  n\jjrried  to  her  cousin  until  the  murder 
of  his  father  by  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  made  him  Duke  of 
Orleans. 

[A.D.  1 410.]  She  loved  him  dearly,  and  lived  happily 
with  him  for  nearly  two  years,  but  she  was  only  a  little  more 
than  twenty- one  when  her  death  occurred.  This  Duke  of 
Orleans  was  a  celebrated  poet,  whose  compositions  are  still 
read  in  France.  We  quote  one  written  shortly  after  his  sad 
bereavement,   but   it    is    much    prettier    in    the   original 

French :  — 

"Alas! 
Death,  who  made  thee  so  bold, 
To  take  from  me  my  lovely  princess  ? 
Who  was  my  comfort,  my  life, 
My  good,  my  pleasure,  my  riches. 
Alas !  I  am  lonely,  bereft  of  my  mate 
Adieu,  my  lady,  my  lily ! 
Our  loves  are  forever  severed." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

JOANNA  OF  NAVARRE,  QUEEN  OF  HENRY  IV. 
(A.D.  1370-14370  ' 

It  was  to  the  Duke  of  Bretagne,  Joanna  of  Navarre's  first 
husband,  that  Henry  IV.  was  pai^y  indebted  for  his 
elevation  to  the  throne  of  England.  Henry  was  an  exile 
when  Richard  II.  was  obliged  to  go  to  Ireland,  and  finding 
that  a  clear  field  was  thus  left  for  his  return,  he  applied  to 
the  Duke  of  Bretagne  for  advice  and  assistance,  and  was 
unhesitatingly  provided  by  him  with  vessels,  soldiers,  and 
arms.  The  use  he  made  of  them  is  recounted  in  the  last 
reign. 

Joanna,  the  duke's  wife,  met  Henry  of  Bolingbroke,  the 
first  time  when  he  was  making  his  preparations  for  this 
expedition  to  England,  and  was  very  much  pleased  with 
his  beauty  and  attractive  manners. 

[A.D.  1 40 1.]  When  she  had  been  a  widow  for  two 
years,  and  Henrj^  was  established  on  the  throne,  she 
willingly  accepted  an  offer  of  his  hand  in  marriage.  He 
had  then  been  a  widower  since  1394,  when  Anne  of 
Bohemia,  his  first  wife,  died. 

Joanna  of  Navarre  agreed  to  marry  Henry  IV.,  but  she 
had  a  family  of  children,  and  before  going  to  England  she 
had  to  provide  for  them.  She  knew  that  it  would  be 
unwise  to  take  her  sons  with  her,  and  as  the  eldest  had 
succeeded  to  his  father's  title,  the  people  of  Bretagne  would 
naturally  object  to  his  making  England  his  home,  so  she 
entered  into  a  treaty  with  her  uncle,  the  Duke  of  Burgundy, 
^54 


JOANNA    OF    NAVARRE. 


1404.  yoanna  of  Navarre.  257 

who  faithfully  swor^  to  preserve  the  laws,  liberties  and 
privileges  of  the  Bretons.  Thereupon  the  little  duke  and 
his  two  brothers,  Arthur  and  Jules,  were  placed  under  his 
care,  and  taken  to  Paris  to  live. 

[A.D.  1402.]  The  two  daughters  accompanied  their 
mother  to  Winchester,  where  King  Henry  awaited  her. 
The  marriage  was  publicly  solemnized  at  the  church,  of 
St  Swithin,  and  afterwards  there  was  a  splendid  feast. 
The  citizens  of  London  made  costly  preparations  to  receive 
the  bride,  whose  coronation  took  place  Feb.  26,  1403, 
nearly  three  weeks  after  her  landing  in  England. 

Joanna  was  thirty-three  years  old  at  that  time,  but  she 
was  still  handsome,  majestic,  and  graceful ;  she  was, 
besides,  a  woman  of  excellent  common  sense,  but  exces- 
sively avaricious.  Indeed,  this  besetting  sin  not  only 
prompted  her  to  make  unjust  demands  on  her  subjects,  and 
to  accept  unlawful  bribes,  but  also  prevented  her  from 
performing  those  deeds  of  charity  that  one  reasonably 
expects  from  people  in  lofty  positions. 

The  festivities  that  succeeded  the  coronation  were  rudely 
interrupted  by  an  attack  of  the  Bretons  on  the  merchant 
shipping  along  the  coast  of  Cornwall.  This  made  the 
queen  distasteful  to  her  new  subjects  at  once,  though  as 
her  own  son,  the  Duke  of  Bretagne,  was  then  entirely  under 
the  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  it  was  the  French 
who  were  responsible  for  the  attack.  Then  followed  the 
Percy  rebellion  and  the  battle  of  Shrewsbury,  where  the 
king  so  nearly  lost  his  life. 

[A.D.  1404'.]  Joanna  further  increased  her  unpopularity 
by  filling  her  palace  with  her  former  subjects,  an  error 
that  many  Queens  of  England  had  made  before  her.  But 
in  this  instance  it  was  soon  rectified,  for  the  House  of 
Commons  took  the  matter  in  hand  and  cleared  the  royal 
household  of  nearly  all  the  Breton  servants.     As  the  king 


258  The  Queens  of  Etiglaiid. 

was  well  aware  that  the  voice  of  the  people  had  secured 
for  him  his  position,  he  dared  not  interfere. 


SHREWSBURY. 


Three  years  after  she  had  ascended  the  throne  of  England, 
Joanna  was  called  upon  to  part  with  her  daughters,  because 
their  brother,  whose  subjects   they  were,  claimed  them. 


1 419-  Joanna  of  Navarre.  261 

He  had  a  husband  provided  for  each,  and  they  were 
married  soon  after  their  return  to  France. 

[A.D.  1413.]  The  death  of  Henry  IV.,  which  occurred 
in  1 41 3,  left  Joanna  again  a  widow.  His  interview  with 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  during  which  he  resigns  his  crown 
and  offers  most  excellent  advice,  is  correctly  given  in  the 
fifth  act  of  Shakespeare's  Henry  IV. 

When  the  new  king,  Henry  V.,  ascended  the  throne, 
he  treated  his  stepmother  with  every  mark  of  attention 
and  respect,  so  much  so  that  when  he  started  on  his 
expedition  against  France  she  was  appointed  regent  in  his 
absence. 

[A.D.  1 41 5.]  The  Duke  of  Bretagne  took  no  part  in  this 
contest;  but  Queen  Joanna's  second  son,  Arthur,  made 
the  first  attack  on  Henry's  camp,  at  the  head  of  two 
thousand  French  cavalry,  near  Agincourt.  Jt  was  midnight 
on  the  eve  of  St.  Crispin's  day  and  a  violent  storm  was 
raging  when  the  assault  was  made.  It  resulted  in  victory 
for  the  English ;  Arthur  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner. 

It  was  with  an  aching  heart  that  Queen  Joanna  was 
called  upon  to  receive  the  royal  victor  when  all  England 
rejoiced  at  his  return ;  for  her  son-in-law  and  her  brother 
had  both  been  killed  at  the  battle  of  Agincourt,  and  her 
son,  Arthur,  was  brought  to  her  kingdom  in  chains.  She 
had  been  separated  from  the  boy  for  twelve  years,  and  now 
she  was  only  permitted  to  give  him  a  fond  embrace,  and 
then  see  him  consigned  to  the  gloomy  Tower.  Although 
Henry  continued  for  a  time  to  treat  the  queen  with  con- 
sideration, he  would  listen  to  no  proposition  or  entreaty  of 
hers  for  Arthur's  release, 

[A.D.  1419.]  At  last,  on  an  accusation  of  witchcraft, 
preferred  against  Joanna  by  her  confessor,  who  declared  that 
she  was  planning  with  two  sorcerers  who  were  dealing  with 
the  powers  of  darkness  for  the  destruction  of  the  king,  she 


262 


The  Queens  of  England. 


was  committed  to  Pevensey  Castle  as  a  prisoner.  Henry 
V.  gave  the  queen  no  opportunity  of  justifying  herself,  but 
no  attempt  of  hers  on  his  life  was  ever  proved. 

[A.D.  1422]  Her  money  was  all  appropriated  by  King 
Henr}^-,  and  she  did  not  regain  her  liberty  until  his  death 
was  at  hand ;  then  his  conscience  smote  him,  and  he  did 
his  utmost  to  make  amends. 

Joanna  lived  many  years  to  enjoy  her  restored  liberty 
and  kept  her  court  chiefly  at  Havering  Bower,  surrounded 
by  all  the  luxuries  that  wealth  could  procure. 

She  died  in  1437,  and  was  buried  at  Canterbury 
Cathedral  beside  Henry  IV. 


COSTUMES. 


CHAPTER  XVI I. 

KATHERINE    OF  VALOIS,    SURNAMED  THE   FAIR, 
WIFE   OF   HENRY   V.     (A.D.  1401— 1437.) 

Charles  VI.,  King  of  France,  and  his  wife.  Queen  Isa- 
beau  of  Bavaria,  had  eight  children,  three  sons  and  five 
daughters,  of  whom  Katherine  was  the  youngest.  The  boys 
became  in  turn  Dauphins  of  France ;  Isabella,  the  eldest  of 
the  family,  was  married  to  Richard  II.  when  she  was  only 
eight  years  of  age,  and  had  an  experience  throughout  her 
short  life  such  as  has  never  been  recorded  of  so  young  a 
girl.  But  she  proved  herself  a  devoted  wife,  and  bore  her 
sufferings  with  true  heroism.  She  died  when  Katherine  was 
only  nine  years  old.  Two  of  the  daughters  of  Charles  VI. 
became  duchesses,  Marie  entered  a  convent,  and  the  two 
little  ones,  Michelle  and  Katherine,  at  the  respective  ages 
of  three  and  five,  we  find  shut  up  in  the  dismal  Hotel  de 
St.  Paul  with  their  brothers  and  their  infirm  father. 

Queen  Isabeau  was  one  of  the  most  wicked  women  that 
ever  lived,  for  she  not  only  joined  her  brother-in-law,  the 
Duke  of  Orleans,  in  stealing  the  revenues  of  the  royal 
household,  thus  leaving  her  husband  and  children  with  no 
means  of  support,  but  she  neglected  them  most  criminally, 
and  then,  for  a  long  time,  deserted  them.  The  poor  king 
was  insane,  which  fact  in  itself  would  have  kept  any  true 
wife  at  his  side,  but  his  guilty,  wretched  consort  deserved 
neither  the  title  of  wife  nor  mother,  for  she  neglected  her 
duty  as  both.  Her  daughters  inherited  her  splendid,  large, 
dark  eyes,  as  well  as  her  clear,  brilliant  complexion,  but, 
^63 


264  The  Queens  of  England, 

fortunately  for  themselves  and  others,  none  of  her  wicked- 
ness. 

While  at  the  Hotel  de  St.  Paul  these  poor  little  children 
were  almost  starved  to  death,  and  as  their  mother  had  left 
them  without  a  change  of  linen  they  ran  about  in  filthy 
rags.  Some  of  the  inferior  attendants  of  the  palace  had 
compassion  enough  to  give  them  a  little  food,  but  the  ser 
vants  of  the  royal  family  were  left  without  money,  conse- 
quently they  neither  could  nor  would  provide  for  the  chil- 
dren. Their  condition  must  have  been  pitiable,  indeed,  but 
God  watched  over  them,  and  as  by  a  miracle  their  father's 
reason  suddenly  returned  to  him  one  day.  For  a  long  while 
he  had  been  totally  unconscious  of  the  misery  that  sur- 
rounded him.  What  must  have  been  the  agony  of  the  good 
man  when  he  beheld  his  own  plight  and  that  of  his  innocent, 
forsaken  little  ones?  It  makes  one  shudder  at  the  thought. 
But  it  had  a  different  effect  on  the  cruel,  infamous  Isabeau ; 
for  no  sooner  did  she  hear  that  her  husband's  reason  was 
restored  than  she  began  to  tremble  for  her  own  safety,  as 
well  she  might.  She  therefore  hurried  away  to  Milan,  and 
ordered  her  brother  Louis,  who  was  as  bad  as  she,  to  bring 
the  children  to  her. 

He  obeyed,  and  not  only  carried  off  the  five  royal  children 
but  also  those  of  the  Duke  of  Burgundy.  Their  absence 
was  soon  discovered,  and  the  duke  sent  a  troop  of  armed 
men  after  them,  who  overtook  them  before  they  had  got 
very  far.  After  securing  the  children  of  both  families  the 
men  turned  respectfully  to  the  Dauphin  Louis,  then  only  ten 
years  old,  and  asked  him  "  whither  he  would  please  to  go." 
"  I  will  return  to  my  royal  father,"  replied  the  boy.  He 
was  eagerly  obeyed  and  carried  back  to  Paris  with  his  com- 
panions. 

Later,  Lsabeau  got  possession  of  the  little  Katherine,  but 
her  conduct  became  so  infamous  that  she  was  imprisoned, 


KATHERINE   OF   VALOIS. 


1387- 


Katherine  of  Valois. 


267 


and  the  child  was  sent  to  a  convent  to  be  educated.  We 
will  leave  her  there  for  a  while  to  tell  something  about 
Henry  V.,  who  became  her  husband. 

[A.D.  1387.]  He  was  born  in  1387,  and  was  a  very  sickly 
infant,  but  he  had  a  devoted  mother,  who  took  such  good 
care  of  him  that  he  soon  grew  strong.  She  gave  him  his 
first  lessons  in  Latin,  and  he  was  afterwards  blessed  with  an 


FRIAR  bacon's  STUDY,  OXFORD. 

excellent  education.  At  the  age  of  ten  he  played  the  harp 
well,  and  was  extremely  fond  of  music.  Later  in  life  he 
performed  on  the  organ  and  composed  sacred  airs.  After 
his  mother's  death,  Richard  IL  took  possession  of  the  boy, 
who  then  lived  at  the  palace,  until  he  was  placed  at  Oxford 
to  complete  his  studies. 

He  was  only  sixteen  years  old  when  he  fought  at  the  bat 


268  The  Queens  of  England. 

tie  of  Shrewsbury,  where  he  proved  himself  a  brave  prince. 
He  advanced  too  rashly  on  the  enemy,  and  received  a  seri- 
ous wound  in  the  face  that  left  a  scar  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
On  being  advised  to  retire  that  the  point  of  the  arrow  might 
be  taken  out,  "  To  what  place  ?  "  he  asked,  "  who  will  remain 
fighting,  if  I,  the  prince,  a  king's  son,  retire  for  fear  at 
the  first  taste  of  steel  ?  let  my  fellow-soldiers  see  that  I  bleed 
at  the  first  onset ;  for  deeds,  not  words,  are  the  duties  of 
princes  who  should  set  the  example  of  boldness." 

Henry  V.  was  extremely  poor  while  he  was  Prince  of 
Wales  ;  but  that  did  not  prevent  his  enjoying  himself,  even 
though  his  dissipations,  and  recklessness  forced  him  into 
company  far  beneath  him  in  rank.  He  was  at  times  so 
pushed  for  money  that  he  would  disguise  himself  as  a  high- 
wayman, and  lie  in  wait  for  the  collectors  of  the  rents  due 
the  crown  and  rob  them.  Sometimes  he  got  soundly  beaten 
himself,  but  he  always  rewarded  those  officers  who  made 
the  boldest  fight.  He  knew  how  to  appreciate  faithfulness, 
even  when  it  .told  against  himself. 

He  performed  some  of  the  wildest  pranks  when  he  lived 
at  a  manor  near  Coventry.  On  one  occasion  he  and  some 
of  his  friends  were  arrested  by  the  mayor  of  that  town  for 
raising  a  riot,  and  this  was  not  the  only  time  that  he  was 
locked  up  in  jail.  The  young  nobles  found  that  they  could 
have  so  much  liberty  and  fun  at  "  Prince  Hal's "  house 
that  they  preferred  it  to  the  king's  court.  This  made 
Henry  IV.  quite  jealous  at  times,  but  it  did  not  prevent 
their  flocking  to  the  manor  and  enjoying  their  mad  frolics. 
During  one  of  these,  a  favorite  servant  of  the  prince  was 
arrested  and  taken  before  Judge  Gascoigne.  No  sooner 
did  Henry  hear  of  it  than  he  rushed  to  the  court  of  justice, 
where  the  servant  stood  awaiting  his  trial.  Walking  boldly 
up  to  the  man  he  endeavored  to  remove  his  chains ;  the 
judge  interfered,  whereupon  the  prince  boxed  his  ears 


1387-  Katherine  of  Valois.  269 

soundly.  Such  an  outrage  caused  great  indignation  on  the 
jiart  of  Gascoigne,  who  not  only  reproved  the  young  man 
as  he  deserved,  but  actually  had  him  locked  up  in  the  prison 
of  the  King's  Bench,  No  doubt  the  prince  regretted  that 
he  had  allowed  his  temper  to  get  the  better  of  his  common 
sense  ;  for,  after  he  had  taken  time  to  reflect,  he  submitted 
with  a  good  grace  to  his  well-merited  punishment.  When 
Henry  IV,  heard  of  this  occurrence,  he  said :  "  he  was 
proud  of  having  a  son  who  would  thus  submit  himself  to 
the  laws,  and  that  he  had  a  judge  who  could  so  fearlessly 
enforce  them." 

For  a  long  time  the  king  had  been  trying  to  get  a  wife  for 
his  wild  son,  no  doubt  with  the  hope  that  marriage  would 
improve  his  bad  behavior.  Several  ladies  had  been  pro- 
posed, but  in  each  case  something  happened  to  prevent  an 
engagement.  At  last  both  father  and  son  seemed  deter- 
mined on  obtaining  the  fair  Katherine  for  the  lofty  station 
of  Princess  of  Wales.  The  Duke  of  York  was  sent  on  a 
private  mission  to  demand  her  hand  in  marriage  for  Prince 
Henry,  and  while  he  was  absent  the  king  died. 

A  short  but  fierce  civil  war  had  to  be  fought  before  Henry 
V.  could  take  possession  of  the  throne,  because  somebody 
raised  a  report  that  Richard  H.,  who  would  have  succeeded, 
was  still  alive.  In  order  to  restore  peace,  Henry  was 
obliged  to  have  Richard's  corpse  paraded  through  the 
streets.  It  was  carried  in  a  chair  of  state  adorned  with  regal 
ornaments,  Henry  walking  by  its  side,  and  all  the  court  fol- 
lowing. After  a  solemn  ceremony  it  was  safely  laid  away 
in  Westminster  Abbey,  and  tranquillity  returned. 

Then  the  new  king  made  another  application  for  the  hand 
of  Princess  Katherine,  at  the  same  time  demanding  the 
enormous  dowry  of  two  millions  of  crowns  and  all  the 
southern  provinces  of  France. 

Charles  VI.  tried  to  compromise,  and  offered  450,000 


270  The  Queens  of  England. 

crowns.  This  the  English  lover  refused  with  disdain.  In 
fact,  he  wanted  an  excuse  for  invading  France,  so  resolved 
to  fight  for  Katherine  the  Fair,  and  to  win  her,  as  well  as 
the  gold  and  the  provinces  he  had  demanded,  at  the  point 
of  the  sword.  In  order  to  raise  money  for  this  expedition 
he  had  to  sell  or  pawn  all  the  valuables  he  owned,  but  his 
ambition  was  aroused  and  he  never  doubted  that  "the 
game  was  worth  the  candle." 

From  Southampton  Henry  V.  sent  a  letter  to  the  King 
of  France  warning  him  of  his  intended  invasion,  and 
adding  that  if  the  southern  provinces  and  the  hand  of 
Katherine  were  not  bestowed  on  him  at  once  he  would 
take  them  by  force. 

The  king  replied :  "  If  that  was  his  mind  he  would  do  his 
best  to  receive  him  ;  but  as  to  the  marriage  he  thought  it 
would  be  a  strange  way  of  wooing  Katherine,  covered  with 
the  blood  of  her  countrymen."  This  answer  might  have 
had  a  favorable  effect  on  the  young  king  had  not  the 
Dauphin  Louis  excited  his  anger  by  sending  him  a  cask  of 
tennis  balls,  saying,  "  that  they  were  fitter  playthings  for 
him,  according  to  his  former  course  of  life,  than  the 
provinces  he  demanded."  "These  balls,"  replied  Henry, 
making  an  angry  pun,  "  shall  be  struck  back  with  such  a 
racket  as  shall  force  open  the  Paris  gates." 

[A.D.  1415.]  He  left  Southampton  in  August,  1415, 
and  after  a  furious  battle  took  possession  of  Harfleur  in 
October.  In  the  winter  he  finished  his  campaign  by  the 
victory  of  Agincourt,  which  shed  everlasting  glory  on  his 
name.  But  it  was  a  sad  day  for  the  enemy.  France 
was  thrown  into  a  dreadful  panic  by  the  number  of  her 
nobles  and  princes  that  were  slain  at  that  battle.  The 
Dauphin  Louis  is  said  to  have  died  of  grief  on  account  of 
it ;  but  when,  shortly  after,  his  death  was  followed  by  that 
of  his  brother,  there  was  a  report  that  the  unnatural 
Isabeau  had  poisoned  both  her  sons. 


1418.  Katherine  of  Valois.  271 

The  malady  of  poor  King  Charles  returned  with  so  many 
misfortunes,  and  his  wicked  wife,  taking  advantage  of  the 
confusion  in  the  country,  made  her  escape  from  prison. 
She  then  joined  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  took  the  reins  of 
government  in  her  own  hands,  and  obtained  control  of  her 
beautiful  daughter  Katherine. 

Strange  to  say,  although  this  woman  had  so  shamefully 
peglected  her  children  when  they  most  required  her  care, 
she  became  quite  proud  of  Katherine  when  she  saw  her 
such  a  lovely  young  woman,  and  soon  exercised  a  surprising 
influence  over  her.  The  young  princess  had  set  her  heart 
on  becoming  Queen  of  England,  and  in  this  her  mother 
heartily  seconded  her. 

When  Henry  V.  was  laying  siege  to  Rouen  Isabeau  sent 
him  a  picture  of  Katherine  by  an  ambassador,  who  was  to 
ask  him,  "whether  so  beautiful  a  princess  required  such 
a  great  dowry  as  he  demanded  with  her  ? "  The  king 
gazed  long  and  earnestly  on  the  portrait,  and  acknowledged 
that  it  was  suprisingly  fair,  but  refused  to  diminish  his 
demands  in  the  least. 

[A.D.  1418.]  At  last  the  city  of  Rouen  fell.  France 
was  in  a  state  of  despair,  and  the  queen  resolved  to  try 
what  effect  Katherine  herself  would  have  on  the  proud 
heart  of  the  conqueror,  since  her  picture  had  failed  to 
satisfy  him.  A  truce  was  therefore  obtained  and  a 
conference  appointed  at  a  town  called  Pontoise. 

The  poor  crazy  king,  with  the  queen  and  Katherine, 
came  to  the  place  of  meeting  in  a  richly  ornamented  barge. 
There  was  a  large  enclosure  made  with  planks  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Seine  ;  outside  were  tents  and  pavilions 
covered  with  blue  and  green  velvet  worked  with  gold. 
Some  of  these  were  occupied  by  the  King  and  Queen  of 
France,  the  Princess,  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  his  council 
and  a  thousand  soldiers.     Then  the   King  of  England 


2/2  The  Queens  of  England. 

arrived  with  his  two  brothers  and  his  escort  of  men-at-arms, 
and  took  possession  of  the  remaining  tents. 

When  the  conference  was  about  to  commence  the  queen 
entered  the  enclosure  from  the  right  side  followed  by 
Katherine.  The  King  of  England  entered  from  the  left, 
advanced  towards  the  queen,  whom  he  saluted  with 
profound  respect,  and  kissed  her  as  well  as  the  princess. 
He  then  took  his  seat  opposite,  while  the  Earl  of  Warwick 
made  a  long  speech  in  French.  Some  time  was  spent  in 
discussion,  when  the  parties  took  leave  of  each  other  and 
separated,  leaving  everything  as  unsettled  as  before. 
Three  weeks  later  the  same  personages,  with  the  exception 
of  Katherine,  met  for  another  conference  on  the  same 
spot.  Finding  that  her  daughter's  beauty  had  not  induced 
the  conqueror  to  lower  his  demands,  Queen  Isabeau  would 
not  permit  Katherine  to  be  present  the  second  time.  This 
arrangement  displeased  Henry  very  much,  for  he  was 
desparately  in  love  with  the  handsome  dark-eyed  princess. 
Still  he  remained  firm,  and  the  second  conference  ended 
as  unsatisfactorily  as  the  first  had  done. 

Hoping  that  the  family  of  his  beloved  would  send  some 
flattering  messages,  Henry  waited  a  few  days ;  but  losing 
patience  at  last  he  demanded  a  third  interview.  He  had 
now  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  be  satisfied  with 
something  less  than  he  had  at  first  required,  and  felt  certain 
that  he  would  only  have  to  open  his  arms  to  receive  his 
pretty  lady-love.  But  lo,  to  his  great  surprise  and  disap- 
pointment, on  arriving  at  Pontoise  he  found  the  tents 
removed,  the  fence  that  marked  the  enclosure  torn  down, 
and  all  the  planks  taken  away,  showing  plainly  that  the 
marriage  treaty  was  supposed  to  be  at  an  end.  It  served 
him  right,  but  he  looked  upon  himself  as  the  injured  party, 
and  flew  into  a  perfect  rage.  He  now  loved  Katherine 
more  than  before,  and  turning  to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy, 


I420.  Katherine  of  Valois.  273 

the  only  member  of  the  royal  family  of  France  who  was 
present,  he  said  ;  "  Fair  cousin,  we  wish  you  to  know  that 
we  will  have  the  daughter  of  your  king,  or  we  will  drive 
him  and  you  out  of  his  kingdom."  The  duke  replied 
angrily,  and  many  high  words  passed  between  the  two  men 
before  they  separated. 

Henry  continued  his  war  in  France,  conquering  at  every 
step,  until,  reduced  to  dire  distress,  the  royal  family  were 
forced  to  pocket  their  pride,  and  beg  to  have  the  marriage 
treaty  renewed.  Henry  was  even  asked  to  name  his  own 
terms.  He  haughtily  replied :  "  That  he  had  been  deceived 
so  often  that  he  would  treat  with  no  one  but  the  Princess 
Katherine  herself,  who,  he  was  sure,  would  not  try  to 
deceive  him."  This  message  was  carried  to  the  queen,  who 
returned  a  love-letter  written  by  the  princess,  and  a 
request  that  Henry  would  come  to  Troyes  for  the  ceremony 
of  espousal.     He  consented  with  pleasure. 

Henry  V.  had  not  been  modest  in  his  demands,  for  with 
the  hand  of  Katherine  he  was  to  receive  not  only  the  prov- 
inces he  had  named  in  the  first  instance,  but  also  the 
regency  of  the  whole  of  France,  thus  disinheriting  the  older 
children  of  the  royal  family. 

[A.D.  1420.]  On  his  arrival  he  was  conducted  with  great 
ceremony  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  where  apartments  had  been 
provided  for  him,  and  the  next  day  he  met  Queen  Isabeau 
and  his  lady-love  at  the  church  of  Notre  Dame,  where,  before 
the  high  altar,  the  articles  of  peace  were  read  and  signed. 
Henry's  tall,  handsome  figure  was  well  set  off  that  day  by 
the  magnificent  suit  of  burnished  armor  in  which  he  appeared. 
In  his  helmet  was  a  fox's  tail  ornamented  with  precious 
stones.  A  flowing  plume  would  have  been  much  prettier, 
but  he  liked  to  dress  oddly  sometimes,  and  no  doubt  thought 
that  a  little  surprise  of  this  sort  would  excite  Katharine's 
interest. 


2/4  The  Queens  of  England. 

After  the  treaty  was  signed,  King  Henr}'  requested  an 
interview  with  his  lady-love,  which  was  granted,  nobody 
besides  being  present  excepting  one  female  attendant. 
Katherine  could  speak  little  English,  and  Henry's  knowl- 
edge of  French  was  slight,  which  made  their  love  scene,  as 
Shakspeare  has  represented  it,  quite  laughable.  When  he 
asks  her :  "  Do  you  like  me,  Kate  ?  "  she  replies  :  "  Pardon- 
nez  moi,  I  cannot  tell  vat  is  — ' like  mel^"  But  when  he 
tells  her  she  is  like  an  angel,  her  knowledge  of  English  serves 
her  very  well,  though  she  modestly  refers  to  her  attendant, 
who  speaks  worse  than  she  does,  to  have  it  explained. 

Henry  makes  a  long  speech,  assuring  her  of  his  love,  and 
asking  for  hers  in  return,  and  this  she  understands  so  well 
as  to  say :  *'  Is  it  possible  dat  I  sould  love  de  enemy  of 
France  ? " 

"  No,"  he  replies,  "  it  is  not  possible  you  should  love  the 
enemy  of  France,  Kate  ;  but  in  loving  me  you  should  love 
the  friend  of  France  ;  for  I  love  France  so  well  that  I  will 
not  part  with  a  village  of  it :  I  will  have  it  all  mine  ;  and, 
Kate,  when  France  is  mine  and  I  am  yours,  then  yours  is 
France,  and  you  are  mine." 

That  puts  her  head  all  in  a  whirl,  and  she  says,  witt^a 
slight  frown :  "  I  cannot  tell  vat  is  dat."  But  the  lover 
soon  explains  all  that  he  wants  her  to  understand  and 
receives  her  promise  to  marry  him.  Placing  a  superb  ring 
of  great  value  upon  her  finger,  Henry  kisses  his  lady-love 
and  thus  ends  the  ceremony  of  betrothal. 

The  following  month  they  were  married  ;  but  this  event 
did  not  put  an  end  to  the  war,  for  the  hone}-moon  was 
passed  amidst  a  series  of  sieges  and  bloodshed,  and  there 
is  no  account  of  Katherine's  once  interceding  with  her  hus- 
band for  her  wretched  country.  If  she  had  not  been  selfish 
in  her  happiness  she  might  have  spared  much  miser)'  to 
others. 


1 42 1.  Katherine  of  Valois.  275 

After  the  siege  of  Melun,  Henry  had  Queen  Isabeau  pro- 
claimed regent  of  France,  so  that  he  might  visit  England  to 
show  off  his  pretty  bride  and  have  her  crowned.  First  they 
made  a  triumphal  entry  into  Paris,  where  rich  presents  were 
offered  to  the  youthful  queen,  and  the  rejoicings  were  on  a 
most  magnificent  scale.  The  young  couple  spent  Christ- 
mas in  that  city,  and  went  on  the  ist  of  February  to  Calais, 
where  they  embarked  for  England. 

[A.D.  142 1.]  Towards  the  end  of  the  month  Katherine 
was  crowned  at  Westminster  Abbey  and  then  conducted  to 
the  great  hall,  where  a  feast  was  served  to  a  large  party  of 
noble  ladies  and  gentlemen.  But  this  feast  had  to  be  pre- 
pared without  meat  of  any  kind,  for  it  was  Lent,  and  called 
for  a  great  deal  of  ingenuity  on  the  part  of  the  caterers. 
Each  course  was  contrived  to  express  some  political  mean- 
ing, the  motto  of  explaining  it  being  always  attached  to  the 
most  prominent  dish. 

The  only  instance  of  active  benevolence  that  we  hear  of 
Katherine  took  place  at  this  feast,  when  she  asked  her  hus- 
band to  give  James  I.  of  Scotland,  who  was  a  prisoner  and 
sat  at  the  table,  his  liberty.  Henry  consented  on  condition 
that  the  king  would  go  with  him  to  fight  in  France. 

Then  the  young  queen  went  to  live  at  Windsor,  where 
her  husband  would  have  joined  her,  but  he  was  compelled 
to  go  back  to  France  to  fight. 

It  was  during  the  siege  of  Meaux  that  news  was  brought 
him  of  the  birth  of  a  son.  "  Where  was  the  boy  born  ? " 
he  asked  eagerly,  and  when  he  was  told  "  at  Windsor,"  he 
repeated  the  following  prophetic  verse,  which  shows  not 
only  that  he  must  have  been  very  superstitious,  but  that  he 
was  a  wretched  poet :  — 

"  I,  Henry,  bom  at  Monmouth, 
Shall  small  time  reign  and  much  get ; 
But  Henry  of  Windsor  shall  long  reign  and  lose  all ; 
But  as  God  will,  so  be  it." 


2/6  The  Queens  of  England. 

Henry  requested  that  the  child  should  not  be  bom  at 
Windsor,  because  he  had  some  mysterious  belief  that  bad 
luck  hung  over  that  palace,  but  Katherine  had  not  chosen 
to  obey  him. 

The  following  spring  she  wrote  a  loving  letter  to  her  lord, 
declaring  that  she  longed  to  see  him,  and  he  immediately 
wrote  her  to  join  him  in  France. 

She  landed  at  Harfleur  with  an  army  of  twenty  thousand 
men,  who  were  to  assist  in  fighting  against  her  unhappy 
country.  Her  father  and  mother  advanced  with  Henry  V. 
to  meet  her,  and  the  reunion  was  a  source  of  great  joy  to 
them  all.  No  doubt  the  king  wanted  to  see  his  little  baby, 
but  it  had  been  left  in  England,  and  he  was  never  to  have 
that  great  pleasure.  His  health  had  been  failing  for  a  long 
time,  but  amidst  the  excitement  of  war  he  would  not  allow 
himself  rest  until  he  could  no  longer  stand.  Shortly  after 
his  wife's  arrival  he  was  carried  on  a  litter  to  the  castle  in 
the  wood  of  Vincennes,  where  she  was  stopping,  and  where 
he  spent  his  last  hours  on  earth. 

[A.D.  1422.]  When  he  was  dying,  he  said  to  the  Duke 
of  Bedford  :  "  Comfort  my  dear  wife,  the  most  afflicted 
creature  living." 

Katherine  was  not  twenty-one  years  old  when  her  hus- 
band died,  and  her  grief  was  most  violent,  for  she  loved 
him  devotedly.  She  made  all  the  funeral  arrangements 
herself,  and  they  were  conducted  with  great  pomp. 

The  body  was  laid  on  a  chariot  drawn  by  four  black 
horses.  Above  it  was  a  bed  on  which  lay  a  figure  made  of 
leather,  and  painted  to  resemble  the  dead  king.  On  the 
head  of  this  figure  was  a  crown  of  gold  and  precious  stones, 
and  around  the  body  a  purple  robe  lined  and  trimmed  with 
ermine.  In  the  right  hand  was  a  sceptre,  in  the  left  a  globe 
of  gold  with  a  cross  rising  from  it.  The  face  was  uncovered, 
and  a  canopy  superbly  decorated  was  held  above  it.     The 


DONJON    Al     Vi.NCt.N.Nt; 


1422.  Katherine  of  Valois.  279 

King  of  Scots  and  a  number  of  princes,  lords,  and  knights 
followed  in  deep  mourning.  Four  hundred  armed  knights 
rode  around  the  car  with  their  lances  pointing  downward, 
and  these  were  followed  by  a  company  of  men  clothed  in 
white  bearing  lighted  torches.  The  queen  with  her  retinue 
came  about  a  mile  behind.  When  the  procession  reached 
London  it  was  met  by  fifteen  bishops,  a  score  of  abbots,  and 
a  vast  crowd  of  priests  and  people.  They  proceeded  along 
the  streets  chaunting  hymns  for  their  dead  king.  After 
his  burial  Katherine  raised  a  magnificent  tomb  to  his 
memory. 

The  little  prince  was  just  eight  months  old  when  his 
mother  returned  to  him  at  Windsor,  where  she  spent  the 
first  few  weeks  of  her  widowhood.  When  parliament  met, 
four  months  later,  she  removed  to  London  and  passed 
through  the  city  on  a  throne  drawn  by  white  horses  and 
surrounded  by  all  the  princes  and  nobles  of  England. 
With  her  infant  on  her  lap,  the  young  mother  looked  very 
pretty  and  interesting,  and  it  is  said  that  the  little  fellow 
behaved  remarkably  well.  As  he  grew  up  he  was  present 
each  year  at  the  opening  of  parliament,  and  when  he 
reached  the  age  of  seven  the  Earl  of  Warwick  was  appointed 
his  tutor.  He  was  crowned  at  Westminster,  and  afterwards 
the  ceremony  was  repeated  at  Paris. 

In  the  meantime  his  mother  had  become  reconciled  to 
the  loss  of  her  husband,  and  had  married  one  Owen  Tudor, 
with  whom  she  lived  very  privately.  After  Henry  V.  died, 
the  English  met  with  many  disasters  in  France,  for  there  was 
nobody  to  lead  them  as  this  great  warrior  had  done.  This 
was  a  cause  of  deep  sorrow  to  Katherine,  and,  with  other 
anxieties,  broke  down  her  health.  She  died  on  the  3d  of 
January,  1437,  and  was  buried  in  "Our  Lady's  Chapel"  at 
Westminster  Abbey. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

MARGARET  OF   ANJOU,   QUEEN  OF   HENRY  VI. 
(A.D.  1429-1479.) 

Margaret  was  the  last  of  the  Provencal  Queens  of 
England,  and  she  filled  a  most  important  position  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Through  her  mother  she  was 
a  direct  descendant  of  the  great  Emperor  Charlemagne,  and 
her  father,  Ren^  of  Anjou,  was  the  son  of  the  King  of 
Sicily  and  Jerusalem. 

[A.D.  143 1.]  When  she  was  about  two  years  old  her 
father  fought  a  battle  against  Anthony  of  Vaudemonte,  and 
was  taken  prisoner.  This  battle  was  to  decide  who  was 
to  rule  over  Lorraine,  and  as  Ren^  was  ca'ptured  he  was 
handed  over  to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  who  locked  him  up 
in  the  top  of  a  high  tower  at  Dijon.  While  there  the  royal 
captive  amused  himself  with  painting  on  glass ;  some  of  the 
beautiful  specimens  of  his  art  were  preserved,  and  are  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  chapel  of  the  Castle  of  Dijon. 

During  the  imprisonment  of  her  husband,  which  lasted 
a  long  time,  Margaret's  mother  was  left  with  the  entire 
care  of  their  four  young  children,  two  boys  and  two  girls, 
all  of  whom  were  remarkably  pretty  and  interesting. 
Many  months  passed,  and  at  last  Ren^  was  granted  per- 
mission to  leave  the  prison  on  condition  that  he  would 
consent  to  the  marriage  of  his  elder  daughter,  Yolante, 
xhen  in  her  ninth  year,  with  Frederic  of  Vaudemonte,  the 
son  of  the  man  by  whom  he  had  been  made  a  captive. 
She  was  to  have  for  her  dowry  part  of  the  disputed  lands 
280 


MARGARET   OF  ANJOU. 


i43««  Margaret  of  Anjou,  283 

of  Lorrahie.  Besides,  Rend  had  to  pledge  himself  to  pay 
a  heavy  ransom  to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  to  give  his  two 
sons  as  hostages,  and  to  allow  Yolante  to  go  and  live  with  her 
new  mother-in-law.  At  the  same  time,  the  baby  Margaret 
was  promised  in  marriage  to  Pierre,  Count  of  St.  Pol,  but  in 
consideration  of  her  youth  she  was  permitted  to  stay  at 
home.  So  out  of  their  four  children  these  unhappy  parents 
took  back  only  one  to  Nancy,  where  they  were  living. 

All  Rend's  efforts  to  raise  the  ransom  failed,  and  there 
was  nothing  left  for  him  to  do  but  to  deliver  himself  up  at 
last  and  go  back  to  prison.  His  son  John  went  with  him, 
while  Louis,  the  younger  one,  was  restored  to  his  distressed 
mother. 

Two  years  passed  away,  and  Louis,  King  of  Naples,  died. 
Ren^  was  his  rightful  successor,  and  his  faithful  wife 
immediately  took  steps  to  claim  the  throne  for  him.  She 
was  a  woman  of  superior  talent,  courage,  and  energy,  and 
as  she  lived  at  the  time  when  the  renowned  Joan  of  Arc 
was  flourishing,  it  did  not  appear  in  any  way  odd  or  strange 
that  she  should  fight  for  her  rights.  She  at  once  assumed 
the  title  of  Queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  and  went  to  live  in 
the  Castle  of  Tarascon,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Rhone. 

Her  two  children  became  such  pets  among  the  Proven- 
9als,  who  loved  their  captive  prince,  that  they  were  almost 
worshipped.  Every  time  they  went  out  the  people  would 
follow  them  in  crowds,  sing  and  strew  flowers  in  their 
path,  and  present  them  with  offerings  of  wreaths.  At 
night  they  would  light  bonfires  in  front  of  the  castle, 
because  there  was  a  superstition  among  them  that  it  was 
the  way  to  keep  off  pestilence.  Once  when  a  band  of 
people,  calling  themselves  witches  and  fairies,  came  with 
the  crowd  to  see  the  pretty  children,  they  were  all  burned 
alive,  the  ignorant  of  those  times  believing  that  pestilence 
was  brought  by  the  magic  of  such  creatures.     Notwith- 


284  The  Queens  of  England. 

standing  this  precaution  a  plague  really  did  break  out,  and 
the  queen  was  obliged  to  hurry  away  with  her  little  ones. 
They  embarked  at  Marseilles  and  went  to  Naples,  where 
there  was  an  ancient  palace  belonging  to  the  family  of 
Anjou. 

The  queen  then  had  her  husband  proclaimed  King  of 
the  Two  Sicilies.  At  this  ceremony  she  was  seated  with 
her  children  in  the  chair  of  state,  which  was  covered  with 
velvet  embroidered  with  gold,  and  borne  through  the  streets 
of  Naples.  She  never  ceased  working  until  she  obtained 
her  husband's  freedom,  and  witnessed  his  grand  entry  into 
Naples  on  a  stately  white  charger,  followed  by  a  Provencal 
army. 

[A.D.  1435.]  I^  the  treaty  for  his  liberation  the  follow- 
ing very  remarkable  article,  proposed  by  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy,  appears  :  —  "  And  to  cement  the  peace  between 
the  two  powers,  Margaret  of  Anjou,  second  daughter  of 
King  Rene,  shall  espouse  the  young  King  of  England." 
Margaret  was  then  only  six  years  of  age.  Her  parents 
removed  to  a  magnificent  palace,  where  she  and  her  brother 
Louis  pursued  their  studies  together  for  several  years. 
Then  Louis  died  and  Margaret  experienced  in  this  loss  her 
first  real  sorrow. 

King  Rend's  territories  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English, 
and  he  was  reduced  to  such  poverty  that  he  retired  with 
his  family  to  Lorraine,  where  he  spent  his  time  writing 
verses  and  composing  music  that  was  the  delight  of  all 
Europe.  It  was  he  who  invented  the  opera  ballet,  and 
while  thus  pleasantly  engaged  he  bore  his  trials  with  per- 
fect indifference. 

In  the  meantime,  Margaret's  engagement  with  St.  Pol 
was  broken  off  on  account  of  the  prospect  of  an  alliance 
with  the  King  of  England.  She  had  become  a  beautiful 
girl,  and  had  created  quite  a  sensation  at  the  court  of  her 


1444-  Margaret  of  Anjou.  285 

aunt,  the  Queen  of  France,  by  her  wit  and  accomplishments. 
When  Henry  VI.  heard  of  her  charms  he  sent  a  gentle- 
man to  find  out  if  they  had  not  been  exaggerated,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  bring  him  a  correct  portrait  of  the  Lady 
Margaret.  The  messenger  returned  with  an  eloquent 
description  of  her,  partly  because  it  was  really  deserved, 
and  partly  because  he,  as  well  as  many  persons  of  both 
the  English  and  the  French  nations,  hoped  that  this  alliance 
would  bring  about  a  lasting  peace  between  their  countries. 
Henry  was  then  in  his  four-and-twentieth  year,  good- 
looking,  with  a  cultivated,  refined  mind,  and  excellent 
morals. 

[A.D.  1444.]  In  1444,  commissioners  met  to  arrange  a 
treaty  of  peace,  which  was  to  be  strengthened  by  the  mar- 
riage of  Henry  and  Margaret.  When  King  Rent's  consent 
was  asked  he  gave  it  on  condition  that  the  dominions  of 
Anjou  and  Maine  were  returned  to  him.  This  was  granted 
by  Henry  and  his  council,  and  neither  mo«ey  nor  lands 
were  required  for  a  dowry  with  the  bride,  her  beauty  and 
talents  being  considered  sufficient  "to  outweigh  all  the 
riches  in  the  world." 

There  was  some  opposition  made  to  this  marriage  by  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester  and  his  party,  who  did  not  want  peace 
with  France,  nor  a  daughter  of  the  house  of  Anjou  on 
their  throne  ;  but  it  was  all  arranged  in  spite  of  them,  and 
the  Duke  of  Suffolk  sailed  from  England  with  a  splendid 
train  of  nobility  to  conduct  Margaret  to  her  future  home. 

The  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  at  Nancy  in 
presence  of  the  bride's  parents,  the  royal  family  of  France, 
and  a  large  number  of  nobles  and  ladies.  King  Henry 
was  not  present,  but  Suffolk  stood  in  his  place,  and  mar- 
ried the  Lady  Margaret  in  the  name  of  the  Sovereign  of 
England. 

King  Ren(i  gave  a  grand  tournament  in  honor  of  the 


286  The  Queens  of  Etigland. 

marriage,  and  all  the  princely  knights  and  gallant  warriors 
wore  garlands  of  daisies  out  of  compliment  to  the  bride, 
who  had  chosen  this  flower  for  her  emblem.  The  festivi- 
ties lasted  eight  days,  and  were  attended  by  most  of  the 
nobles  of  France,  England,  and  Burgundy.  Margaret's 
sister,  Yolante,  was  married  at  the  same  time,  and  this  is 
how  it  was  managed :  she  had  been  engaged  to  Frederic 
of  Vaudemonte  for  more  than  nine  years,  but  as  her  father 
had  been  forced  to  agree  to  this  engagement  when  he  was 
a  prisoner  he  never  intended  to  fulfil  it.  But  the  lover 
was  not  to  be  put  off  any  longer,  so  he  made  a  plan  with 
some  of  his  daring  young  friends  to  carr)'  off  his  lady-love 
while  the  tournament  was  going  on.  King  Rene  was  very 
angry  at  first,  but  soon  forgave  the  young  couple,  and  the 
festivities  continued  with  fresh  spirit. 

At  the  end  of  the  week  Margaret  took  a  mournful  fare- 
well of  her  weeping  family  and  friends,  by  whom  she  was 
deeply  loved. ^  Her  uncle,  Charles  VII.  of  France,  went 
part  of  the  way  with  her.  At  parting,  he  pressed  her  in 
his  arms  tenderly,  and  said,  with  his  eyes  full  of  tears : 
"  I  seem  to  have  done  nothing  for  you,  my  dear  niece,  in 
placing  you  on  one  of  the  greatest  thrones  in  Europe,  for 
it  is  scarcely  worthy  of  possessing  you."  The  young 
queen  was  sobbing  so  that  she  could  not  reply,  and  they 
parted  never  to  meet  again.  Her  father  went  with  her 
still  further,  and  when  they  embraced  in  farewell  they  could 
not  speak,  but  turned  away  from  each  other  with  hearts  too 
full  to  permit  of  their  uttering  a  single  word. 

The  wars  with  France  that  had  lasted  so  long  had  made 
Henry  so  poor  that  he  was  obliged  to  call  a  meeting  of  par- 
liament, when  his  bride  was  coming,  to  get  money  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  his  wedding  and  Margaret's  coronation,  and 
for  the  same  purpose  he  pawned  some  of  the  crown  jewels. 

The  young  queen  had  been  so  ill  on  the  voyage  that  she 


1445-  Margaret  of  Anjou.  28/ 

had  to  be  carried  from  the  boat  to  the  shore.  A  terrible 
storm  was  raging  when  she  landed,  but  in  spite  of  the  thun- 
der and  lightning,  people  flocked  in  crowds  to  look  at  her. 
It  was  many  days  before  she  could  proceed  on  her  journey, 
because  her  illness  proved  to  be  something  that  looked  very 
like  small-pox.  However,  it  could  not  have  been  a  very 
severe  case,  because  her  beauty  was  not  impaired  in  the 
least. 

[A.D.  1445.]  She  was  able  to  join  her  husband  at  last, 
and  their  nuptials  were  solemnized  at  Tichfield  Abbey,  in 
April,  1445.  The  bridal  ring  contained  a  ruby  of  great 
value,  and  had  been  a  present  to  the  king  from  his  uncle, 
Cardinal  Beaufort. 

Poor  Margaret's  wardrobe  was  so  scanty  that  Henry  was 
obliged  to  buy  her  some  clothing  before  she  could  appear 
in  public.  This  to  a  girl  of  fifteen,  who  probably  expected 
a  fine  trousseau  when  she  married  at  least,  must  have  been 
distressing.  Although  the  English  were  dissatisfied  because 
their  new  queen  brought  no  dower,  and  because  of  her  rela- 
tion to  the  royal  family  of  France,  her  beauty  won  its  way 
to  their  hearts,  and  secured  for  her  a  hearty  welcome  where 
ever  she  appeared.  All  the  knights  and  nobles  wore  her 
emblem  flower,  the  daisy,  in  their  caps,  when  they  came  in 
a  body  to  receive  her  in  state.  This  must  have  been  a  very 
flattering  compliment,  and  the  king  carried  it  still  further 
by  having  "  Marguerites  "  engraved  on  his  silver.  Grand 
preparations  had  been  made  in  London  for  the  young 
queen's  reception  ;  there  were  triumphal  arches  across  the 
principal  streets  bearing  mottoes  and  beautiful  designs  in 
flowers,  besides  banners  and  evergreens.  At  every  corner 
there  were  pictures  or  dressed-up  figures  having  some  po- 
litical meaning,  or  offering  some  mark  of  welcome  and 
loyalty  to  the  new  sovereign. 

A  large  procession  of  men  on  horseback  conducted  hej 


288  The  Queens  of  England. 

into  the  city.  These  consisted  of,  first,  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester  with  five  hundred  attendants,  all  wearing  his 
badge  and  livery  ;  then  the  mayor,  aldermen,  and  sheriffs  in 
blue  gowns  with  embroidered  sleeves  and  red  hoods.  Next 
came  the  queen's  carriage,  surrounded  by  her  suite,  and  a 
long  train  of  followers  brought  up  the  rear. 

The  coronation  took  place  at  Westminster  two  days  later 
with  great  splendor,  though  the  king's  treasury  was  almost 
empty.  No  doubt  all  this  display  was  very  gratifying  to 
King  Rent's  faithful  steward,  squire,  and  minstrels,  who 
came  to  England  to  witness  the  reception  of  their  princess, 
then  went  back  home  to  tell  all  about  it. 

A  few  weeks  after  the  coronation  an  embassy  arrived 
with  congratulations  to  Henry  VI.  from  the  King  of  France, 
and  Ren^,  Margaret's  father.  Henry  received  them  seated 
in  a  large  chair  of  state  covered  with  blue  tapestry.  His 
long  robe  of  scarlet  velvet  with  gold  embroidery  swept  the 
floor.  When  the  ambassadors  made  their  speech,  wishing 
him  the  blessings  of  peace  and  prosperity,  he  raised  his  hat 
and  said,  several  times :  "  St.  John,  thanks ;  great  thanks 
to  St.  John  !  "  They  then  inquired  after  the  health  of  the 
young  queen,  and  expressed  a  hope  that  the  peace  then 
existing  between  France  and  England  would  last  forever. 
Henry  replied  :  "  That  he  desired  the  continuance  of  peace 
beyond  anything  on  earth ;  "  to  which  all  who  were  present 
answered,  "  Amen  ! " 

For  the  first  two  years  after  Margaret's  marriage.  Cardi- 
nal Beaufort  was  her  chief  adviser,  and  she  became  so  fond 
of  him  that  she  would  often  make  visits  at  his  house  in  Wal- 
tham  Forest,  where  there  was  a  room  magnificently  fitted 
up  for  her  special  use  with  hangings  of  spun  gold  from 
Damascus.  Henry  was  attached  to  the  good  cardinal  also, 
and  was  always  glad  to  be  guided  by  his  advice.  He  was 
of  the  greatest  assistance  to  the  young  couple  on  several 


1445-  Margaret  of  Anj oil.  289 

occasions,  for  his  immense  wealth  enabled  him  to  help 
them  out  of  many  a  debt  that  they  could  not  otherwise 
have  paid. 

At  this  time  Margaret  was  a  woman  of  unusual  intellect  and 
grace  of  manners.  One  of  the  chroniclers  of  her  reign  says 
of  her  :  "  England  had  never  seen  a  queen  more  worthy  of  a 
throne  than  Margaret  of  Anjou.  No  woman  surpassed  her 
in  beauty,  and  few  men  equalled  her  in  courage.  It  seemed 
as  if  she  had  been  formed  by  Heaven  to  supply  to  her  royal 
husband  the  qualities  which  he  required  in  order  to  become 
a  great  king." 

It  was  a  pity  that  she  was  called  to  share  the  throne  of 
England  when  she  was  so  young,  for  her  judgment  was  not 
formed,  and  she  had  a  nature  that  was  more  likely  to  create 
enemies  than  friends.  She  was  very  foolish  in  her  treat- 
ment of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  Henry's  uncle,  who,  she 
knew,  had  been  one  of  those  most  strongly  opposed  to  her 
marriage.  For  this  she  could  not  forgive  him,  and,  like  a 
spoiled  child,  took  every  opportunity  of  showing  him  what 
influence  she  had  over  the  king,  and  how  much  she  loved 
Cardinal  Beaufort  and  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  both  of  whom 
were  his  sworn  enemies.  But  there  was  a  great  change  in 
her  life  by  the  time  she  had  been  two  years  on  the  throne, 
for  Henry's  ministers  met  in  parliament,  and  decided  on 
the  destruction  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester.  He  had  shown 
a  disposition  to  join  the  Duke  of  York  for  the  purpose  of 
opposing  the  queen  and  her  influence  in  every  possible  way. 
Although  the  king  had  no  particular  evidence  to  offer 
against  his  uncle,  he  was  convinced  that  he  was  his  enemy, 
and  had  him  arrested  for  high  treason.  The  whole  country 
was  astonished  at  this  charge,  but  the  astonishment  was 
changed'to  horror,  when,  seventeen  days  later,  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester  was  found  dead  in  his  bed.  Murder  was  sus- 
pected, but  there  was  no  proof  of  it.     Some  people  even 


290  The  Queens  of  England. 

accused  the  queen  of  having  had  a  hand  in  it,  but  it  is  not  at 
all  probable  that  so  young  a  girl,  and  one  of  Margaret's  open, 
candid  nature,  could  have  been  guilty  of  so  foul  a  deed. 

Eight  weeks  later  the  venerable  Cardinal  Beaufort  died, 
and  the  young  queen  was  thus  deprived  of  a  friend  and 
adviser,  whose  large  experience  and  profound  wisdom  had 
made  his  counsel  so  valuable  to  her.  This  was,  indeed,  a 
most  serious  loss,  for  Henry  had  not  the  qualities  requisite 
for  the  government  of  a  kingdom,  and  this  duty,  therefore, 
fell  upon  the  shoulders  of  Margaret,  who  was  so  young  that 
she  had  scarcely  learned  to  govern  herself.  The  king  was 
absorbed  in  his  studies  and  in  the  regulation  of  the  college 
at  Eton,  that  the  had  just  founded.  Affairs  of  state  interested 
him  but  little,  so  his  wife  naturally  turned  for  advice  to  the 
nearest  friend  of  the  departed  cardinal.  This  was  the  Duke 
of  Suffolk,  a  gray-haired  statesman  and  soldier,  who  had 
ser\'ed  in  the  English  army  for  thirtj-four  years.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  king's  cabinet,  and  his  wife  was  Mar- 
garet's favorite  maid  of  honor. 

During  the  interval  of  peace  that  the  English  nation 
enjoyed  before  they  were  again  forced  into  war,  Margaret 
laid  the  foundation  for  Queen's  College.  She  also  tried 
to  get  the  people  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  woollen 
and  silk  goods  that  had  been  commenced  there  many  years 
before,  but  the  desire  for  fighting  had  grown  so  that  it  was 
impossible  to  make  those  men  or  their  sons  who  had 
fought  in  France,  till  the  soil  or  weave  cloth.  The  silk 
manufacture  was  chiefly  carried  on  by  women,  while  the 
men  thirsted  for  the  excitement  of  war  in  spite  of  its 
miseries. 

[A.D.  1449.]  In  1449  Charles  VH.  renewed  hostilities, 
and  in  the  course  of  two  years  had  got  back  most  of  the 
towns  in  Normandy.  The  Duke  of  York  and  his  party 
blamed    "that   French  woman,"   as  they  contemptuously 


1449- 


Margaret  of  Anjou.  291 


called  Margaret,  for  all  their  losses,  and  declared  that 
the  king  was  fit  for  a  cloister  rather  than  a  throne,  since 
he  left  all  the  affairs  of  his  kingdom  in  the  hands  of  a 
woman. 

The  Duke  of  York  made  himself  so  offensive  to  Margaret 
that  she  resolved  to  get  rid  of  him  at  any  cost ;  she  there- 
fore appointed  him  governor  of  Ireland.  This  was  a 
serious  mistake,  for  it  only  increased  his  power.  He  left 
a  strong  party  in  England  who  were  opposed  to  the  queen, 
though  not  openly,  and  did  everything  to  make  her  and  her 
favorite  minister  unpopular.  They  never  ceased  their 
efforts  until  they  saw  the  Duke  of  Suffolk  first  imprisoned, 
then  banished,  and  finally  put  to  death  by  his  enemies  in 
defiance  of  the  crown. 

This  tragedy  was  the  first  of  many  scenes  of  blood  and 
horror  that  were  in  store  for  England.  The  misery  of  the 
lower  classes  caused  by  famine  and  disease  was  so  great 
that  they  rose  in  rebellion,  headed  by  Jack  Cade,  who 
gathered  his  rough  motley  forces  about  him  at  Blackheath. 
They  numbered  fifteen  thousand,  but  when  they  heard  that 
King  Henry  was  coming  in  person  to  fight  them,  they  got 
frightened,  and  fled  to  a  place  called  Seven  Oaks. 

It  was  a  pity  that  Queen  Margaret  went  with  her 
husband,  for  although  she  became  warlike  later  in  life,  she 
was  so  little  disposed  to  fight  at  that  time  that  no  sooner 
had  Henry  gained  a  victory  than  she  persuaded  him  to  go 
back  with  her  to  London.  She  could  scarcely  have  com- 
mitted a  greater  error,  for  the  rebels  mistook  the  king's 
departure  for  cowardice,  and  marched  straight  to  the 
metropolis,  where  there  is  no  telling  what  they  would  have 
done  had  not  the  churchmen  interfered  and  calmed  the 
storm.  At  their  approach  the  king  and  queen  fled  to 
Kenilworth  Castle,  and  the  archbishop  took  it  upon  him- 
self to  pardon  the  rebels  if  they  would  return  in  peace  to 
their  homes. 


292  The  Queens  of  England. 

[A.D.  1450.]  Cade  was  not  pardoned,  but  when  he 
found  himself  deserted  by  his  followers  he  made  his  escape. 
A  thousand  pounds  were  offered  for  his  head,  and  the 
sheriff  of  Kent,  who  caught  him,  obtained  the  reward.  It 
was  afterwards  proved  that  the  Duke  of  York  was  at  the 
bottom  of  this  revolt. 

The  royal  couple  had  now  taken  the  Duke  of  Somerset 
into  their  favor,  and  though  he  was  exceedingly  unpopular 
in  England  he  succeeded  to  Suffolk's  high  office.  He 
belonged  to  the  house  of  Lancaster,  and  it  is  said  that  his 
violent  temper  caused  the  beginning  of  those  dreadful 
"  wars  of  the  roses  "  that  lasted  for  twenty  years.  He  had 
a  dispute  with  Warwick  in  the  Temple  Gardens,  and  plucked 
-a  red  rose,  calling  on  all  the  bystanders  who  sided  with 
him  to  do  likewise.  Warwick  chose  a  white  rose,  and  did 
the  same,  and  forever  after  the  two  parties  of  York  and 
Lancaster  were  distinguished  by  this  sign.  Instead  of 
endeavoring  to  settle  the  dispute.  Queen  Margaret  wore 
the  red  rose,  and  very  imprudently  declared  herself  an 
opponent  of  the  other  party. 

In  time  the  Duke  of  York  became  so  powerful  that  the 
queen  advised  her  husband  to  make  an  attack  on  him. 
He  consented,  and  marched  toward  the  Welsh  border,  but 
he  was  too  weak  to  take  a  firm  stand  as  he  ought  to  have 
done  to  crush  his  enemy,  and  consented  to  an  interview 
with  York,  who  demanded  that  Somerset  should  first  be 
put  under  arrest.  Henry  consented.  York  then  disbanded 
his  army  and  entered  the  king's  tent  quite  alone.  In  the 
meantime  the  queen  had  contrived  to  get  Somerset  out  of 
the  Tower  without  Henry's  knowledge.  She  then  concealed 
him  behind  a  curtain  of  the  royal  tent,  so  that  he  might  be 
present  at  the  interview.  When  York  assured  the  king 
that  he  had  taken  up  arms  for  the  sole  purpose  of  bringing 
Somerset  to  punishment,  the  concealed  duke  rushed  from 


1453'  Margaret  of  Anjou.  295 

his  hiding-place  and  accused  his  enemy  of  treason.  A 
fierce  quarrel  ensued,  during  which  the  king  stood  speech- 
less with  astonishment.  As  York  left  the  tent  he  was  put 
under  arrest,  probably  by  the  queen's  order;  but  later, 
when  he  swore  fealty  to  the  king  at  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
he  was  released. 

[A.D.  1452.]  About  this  time  Talbot,  Earl  of  Shrews- 
bury, one  of.  Margaret's  most  devoted  friends,  was  killed 
in  battle.  A  magnificent  volume  of  sketches  that  he 
presented  to  her  shows  that  he  must  have  had  great  taste 
for  the  fine  arts.  The  colored  title-page  represents  the 
king  and  queen  seated  side  by  side  on  a  low  divan. 
Margaret  wears  a  royal  crown  ;  her  hair  is  of  a  pale  golden 
color,  and  falls  gracefully  over  her  shoulders.  Her  mantle 
is  of  royal  purple,  fastened  with  gems  and  bands  of  gold. 
She  is  beautiful  and  majestic  in  this  picture,  and  does  not 
appear  more  than  twenty  years  old.  Talbot  kneels  before 
her  presenting  the  volume,  with  his  dog  by  his  side.  Daisies 
are  painted  in  clusters  on  the  title-page,  and  the  queen's  initial 
(M)  is  surrounded  by  the  garter  and  its  motto.  The  ladies 
in  attendance  who  stand  behind  the  divan  wear  heart- 
shaped  caps,  formed  of  a  stuffed  roll  ornamented  with  gold 
and  jewels,  and  fastened  in  a  fanciful  turban  shape  over  a 
close  cap  of  gold  cloth  or  net-work  brought  to  a  point  in 
front  and  rising  at  the  back  of  the  head.  At  the  end  of 
Jhe  volume  is  an  allegorical  picture  representing  Margaret 
and  the  ladies  of  her  court  as  the  Virtues.  Margaret  is 
Faith  and  King  Henry  appears  as  Honor.  The  old  earl 
was  mourned  by  all  classes  of  people,  for  he  was  the  greatest 
captain  of  the  age. 

[A.D.  1453.]  It  was  in  this  year  that  the  queen's  dearly 
loved  mother  died,  and  a  still  heavier  calamity  fell  upon 
the  royal  household  in  the  fearful  malady  that  began  to 
show  itself  in  the  king.     He  had  inherited  the  brain  dis- 


296  The  Queens  of  England, 

ease  of  his  grandfather,  Charles  VI.  of  France,  and  the 
trouble  in  his  court  had  so  affected  him  that  his  reason 
gave  way  under  it.  Margaret  was  therefore  compelled  to 
govern  alone,  whether  she  desired  it  or  no,  and,  like  a  good 
wife,  she  made  every  effort  to  keep  her  poor  ailing  husband 
in  ignorance  of  all  political  disturbance.  She  had  him 
removed  to  his  palace  at  Westminster,  where  he  could  be 
quiet  and  kept  free  from  all  excitement,  and  it  was  there 
that  his  only  child,  the  unfortunate  Edward  of  Lancaster, 
called  "The  child  of  sorrow,"  was  born.  This  boy  was 
named  Edward,  and  was  York's  only  rival  to  the  throne. 
He  was  therefore  not  welcome  to  the  nation,  who  felt 
that  his  existence  would  be  the  cause  of  much  bloodshed 
between  the  two  parties  of  York  and  Lancaster. 

At  this  period  Queen  Margaret  was  ruling,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  Cardinal  Kemp,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  but 
he  died  a  few  months  after  the  prince  was  born,  and  the 
House  of  Lords  sent  a  committee  to  the  king  to  request 
him  to  name  a  successor.  But  poor  Henry  stared  at  them 
without  understanding  a  word  they  said,  and  of  course 
could  make  no  reply.  The  Duke  of  York  was  then  ap- 
pointed defender  and  protector  of  the  king  as  long  as  his 
illness  lasted,  or  until  Prince  Edward  should  be  old 
enough  to  ascend  the  throne.  Five  physicians  and  sur- 
geons were  appointed  to  attend  the  royal  sufferer  and 
watch  over  his  health. 

Margaret  was  so  wrapped  up  in  her  baby,  and  so  worried 
on  account  of  her  husband's  condition,  that  she  took  no 
part  in  these  political  changes,  but  her  party  insisted  on 
her  having  absolute  power  as  queen  regent.  York  objected, 
and  had  the  Duke  of  Somerset  put  under  arrest. 

A  few  months  later  the  king's  consciousness  suddenly 
returned,  and  he  seemed  as  though  awakening  from  a  deep 
sleep.     His  child  was  then  shown  to  him,  and  he  noticed 


1453*  Margaret  of  Anjou.  299 

the  boy  for  the  first  time,  although  he  was  more  than  a  year 
old.  The  news  of  the  cardinal's  death  brought  tears  to  his 
eyes,  and  he  said  "  that  he  never  knew  of  it  till  this  time," 
and  "  that  one  of  the  wisest  lords  in  the  land  was  dead." 

There  was  great  rejoicing  over  the  king's  recovery,  and 
Margaret  immediately  took  measures  to  have  him  restored 
to  power.  Though  still  weak,  he  attended  parliament  and 
replaced  Somerset  in  office.  But  this  triumph  of  the 
queen's  party  did  not  last  long,  for  the  Duke  of  York 
raised  an  army  and  marched  towards  London,  intending  to 
take  the  king  by  surprise. 

Henry  had  courage,  but  he  could  not  bear  to  shed  the 
blood  of  his  subjects ;  however,  there  was  no  help  for  it 
now,  so  he  made  his  headquarters  at  St.  Albans,  with  not 
more  than  two  thousand  men.  The  Earl  of  Warwick  com- 
menced the  attack,  and  the  battle,  which  lasted  only  one 
hour,  was  a  desperate  one,  large  numbers  being  slain  on 
both  sides.  The  king  was  wounded  in  the  neck,  but  con- 
tinued to  fight  until  left  alone  under  the  royal  banner.  He 
then  walked  coolly  to  a  baker's  shop  close  by  to  have  the 
wound  attended  to.  The  Duke  of  York  followed  him,  and 
falling  on  his  knees  before  the  sovereign,  said  :  "  Rejoice  ! 
for  the  traitor,  Somerset,  is  slain."  Henry  replied  :  "  For 
God's  sake  stop  the  slaughter  of  my  subjects."  York  then 
took  the  wounded  king  by  the  hand  and  led  him  to  his 
apartments  in  the  abbey  of  St.  Albans.  On  the  following 
day  they  went  together  to  London. 

At  the  approach  of  the  Duke  of  York's  army  Margaret 
had  retired  to  Greenwich  with  her  ladies  and  the  little 
prince,  where  she  awaited  the  result  of  the  battle  of  St. 
Albans  with  great  anxiety ;  and  when  the  news  came  of  the 
defeat  of  her  party,  and  the  death  of  so  many  of  her  brave 
friends,  she  fainted  and  remained  in  a  stupor  for  several 
hours.     The  king's  wound  was  so  serious  that,  added  to 


300  The  Qncejis  of  England. 

the  excitement  of  the  battle,  it  brought  a  return  of  his  dis- 
ease. He  was  not  in  a  condition  to  attend  the  next  par- 
liament, so  the  Duke  of  York  appeared  in  his  name. 

This  was  a  parliament  made  up  of  the  queen's  enemies, 
who  naturally  found  great  fault  with  her  management  of  pub- 
lic affairs.  They  petitioned  the  king  to  appoint  the  Duke  of 
York  protector  of  the  realm,  and  urged  him  so  often  and 
strongly  to  this  step  that  at  last  he  consented.  No  sooner 
was  this  done  than  the  queen  was  advised  to  withdraw  to 
some  quiet  spot  with  her  husband  and  child.  She  was 
glad  to  comply,  for  her  mind  was  so  filled  with  these 
objects  of  her  care  that  she  did  not  feel  capable  of  any 
other  duties.  She  removed  to  Greenwich  Palace,  where 
she  devoted  herself  to  the  nursing  of  the  king  and  the 
education  of  her  boy.  But  while  there  she  received  fre- 
quent visits  from  the  princes  of  the  Lancaster  family  and 
the  young  Tudors,  Henry's  half  brothers.  Besides  these, 
a  band  of  brave  young  nobles  and  gentlemen  gathered 
around  her,  panting  to  avenge  the  blood  of  their  fathers 
who  had  fallen  at  St.  Albans.  These  so  strengthened  the 
Red  Rose  party  that  as  soon  as  the  king's  health  improved 
Margaret  felt  it  her  duty  to  present  him  again  at  parlia- 
ment. She  therefore  held  a  meeting  of  her  friends  and 
made  all  the  arrangements  for  this  step. 

[A.D.  1456.]  When  King  Henry  entered  the  House  of 
Lords,  and  addressed  them  in  a  calm,  dignified  speech, 
telling  them  that  since  by  the  blessing  of  God  his  health 
was  so  far  restored  that  the  kingdom  no  longer  needed  a 
protector,  they  were  so  taken  by  surprise  that  they  imme- 
diately consented  to  his  resuming  the  reins  of  government. 
The  Duke  of  York  had  not  heard  of  this  new  move  of  Queen 
Margaret's,  and  happened  to  be  absent.  When  an  order 
reached  him  next  day,  signed  by  the  king,  requesting  him 
to  resign  his  office,  he  was  so  chagrined  that  he  retired  to 


1456.  Margaret  of  Anjou.  30 1 

tl^e  country.  Henry  Beaufort,  heir  to  the  late  Duke  of 
Somerset,  was  then  appointed  prime  minister. 

The  poor  queen  had  her  hands  full,  for  not  only  was  she 
obliged  to  keep  constantly  prompting  her  husband  how  to 
act,  but  she  took  great  pains  to  amuse  him  and  to  preserve  in 
him  a  calm,  peaceful  state  of  mind.  Minstrels  were  gath- 
ered from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  well  paid  for  reciting 
and  playing  to  him,  and  daily  requests  came  from  nobles 
and  other  subjects  for  leave  to  go  on  pilgrimages  to  the 
different  shrines  to  pray  for  his  health.  This  had  a  very 
soothing  influence  and  filled  King  Henry's  mind  with  hope. 

Margaret  showed  a  great  deal  of  wisdom  and  prudence 
in  the  way  she  exercised  her  power  at  this  time,  and  feel- 
ing a  desire  to  know  whether  she  was  popular  with  her 
subjects,  she  resolved  to  travel  with  the  king  and  the  little 
prince  through  some  of  the  midland  counties  and  spend  a 
short  time  at  Coventry.  Everywhere  the  royal  party  were 
received  with  great  enthusiasm,  and  processions  were  got  up 
in  their  honor.  Margaret  won  her  way  to  all  hearts  that 
were  not  prejudiced  against  her,  and  during  her  stay  at  Cov- 
entry the  citizens  became  so  devoted  to  her  that  the  name 
of  their  town  was  changed  to  "  Margaret's  Safe  Harbor." 

Now  the  French  and  Scotch  thought  that  as  there  were 
two  parties  in  England  it  was  a  good  time  to  attack  them, 
but  they  made  a  great  mistake,  for  although  the  nation 
were  divided  among  themselves,  they  became  one  as  soon 
as  a  foreign  power  dared  to  attack  them.  A  general  con- 
gress of  the  two  parties  was  called,  and  presided  over  by 
the  lord-mayor,  who  was  appointed  guardian  of  the  public 
peace.  A  treaty  was  formed  after  two  months  of  debate 
and  quarrel,  when  the  king  and  queen  made  a  public  entry 
into  London.  The  feast  of  the  Annunciation  was  kept  as 
a  day  of  public  thanksgiving  for  the  peace  that  reigned 
between  the  houses  of  York  and  Lancaster,  and  when  the 


302  The  Queens  of  England. 

procession  was  formed  to  march  to  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
the  earls  who  had  been  the  deadliest  foes  headed  it,  walking 
arm  in  arm.  The  king  followed  alone,  and  just  behind 
him  came  the  Duke  of  York,  leading  Margaret  by  the 
hand.  All  appeared  to  be  on  the  most  loving  terms,  and 
the  happiness  of  the  citizens  of  London  manifested  itself 
in  their  cheering,  bonfires  and  other  signs  of  rejoicing. 
This  patched-up,  make-believe  peace  lasted  only  a  short 
time,  for  the  Duke  of  York  was  at  that  time  lord  admiral 
of  the  whole  English  navy,  and  with  so  much  power  he 
was  not  likely  to  remain  long  inactive. 

[A.D.  1459.]  The  following  year  the  queen  made  a  tour 
through  some  of  the  counties  of  England  with  her  husband, 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  as  she  said,  though  her  real 
object  was  to  gain  favor  for  her  son,  then  a  most  engaging 
child  of  six  years.  So  well  did  she  succeed  that  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Blore-heath,  which  was  fought  shortly  after,  ten 
thousand  men  wore  the  Prince  of  Wales'  livery.  King 
Henry  was  dangerously  ill  when  this  battle  was  fought. 
The  Yorkists  were  victorious,  and  their  leader  boldly 
asserted  his  right  to  the  crown. 

But  Margaret  was  not  crushed  by  defeat ;  on  the  contrary, 
her  energies  were  aroused,  and  she  determined  to  take  up 
arms  herself  to  fight  the  cause  of  her  husband  and  son. 
The  warlike  blood  of  Charlemagne  was  thrilling  in  her  veins, 
and  she  was  the  countrywoman  of  Joan  of  Arc,  who  had 
proved  herself  such  a  successful  warrior.  She  went  to  Cov- 
entry, where  she  succeeded  in  getting  together  another  army. 
By  this  time  the  king's  health  had  so  far  improved  that  she 
persuaded  him  to  march  to  Ludlow  and  meet  the  Duke  of 
York  on  the  battle-field. 

In  the  meantime  Margaret  had  so  increased  her  popularity 
that  many  of  the  Yorkist  soldiers  refused  to  fight  against 
her  husband.     The  duke  was  taken  aback  at  this,  and  cir- 


1459-  Margaret  of  Anjou.  303 

culated  a  report  of  the  king's  death,  and  caused  a  mass  to 
be  sung  in  camp  for  the  repose  of  his  soul.  Hearing  of 
this,  the  queen  caused  a  pardon  to  be  proclaimed  in  the 
king's  name  for  all  who  would  return  to  their  allegiance. 
The  Yorkist  leaders  did  not  believe  in  this  offer  of  par- 
don until  Henry,  urged  on  by  his  courageous  wife,  advanced 
to  the  very  gates  of  Ludlow  Castle  and  proclaimed  it  again. 
Then  so  many  soldiers  of  the  other  side  deserted  that  the 
duke  made  his  escape  and  went  to  Calais,  leaving  his  wife 
and  her  two  younger  sons  to  defend  the  castle.  Tkey  were 
taken  prisoners,  and  the  whole  town  was  destroyed. 

Margaret  was  delighted  with  the  success  of  her  first  cam- 
paign, but  she  did  not  enjoy  her  triumph  very  long,  for  the 
Earl  of  Warwick,  who  was  a  more  determined  enemy  than 
York,  brought  a  band  of  experienced  soldiers  from  Calais, 
and  gathering  all  his  forces,  made  a  tremendous  charge  on 
the  Lancaster  troops,  killing  ten  thousand  of  them  in  two 
short  hours,  and  capturing  King  Henry.  The  queen  was 
stationed  near  enough  to  receive  the  dreadful  news  within 
an  hour,  and  made  her  escape  with  her  son  to  a  fortress  in 
the  north  of  Wales,  where  she  was  honorably  received  and 
protected  by  a  courageous  chieftain  of  that  country. 
Nobody  knew  where  she  was  hidden,  not  even  the  king, 
who  was  taken  to  London  and  carefully  guarded. 

As  soon  as  York  heard  of  the  victory  of  his  party  he 
entered  the  city  of  London  at  the  head  of  five  hundred 
horsemen,  with  a  sword  of  state  borne  before  him.  He 
rode  straight  to  Westminster,  and,  entering  the  House  of 
Lords,  walked  to  the  throne,  and  laid  his  right  hand  on  it 
with  a  look  around  among  the  peers  that  implied  he  awaited 
an  invitation  to  take  his  seat  there.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken.  At  length  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  broke 
the  dead  silence,  and  asked  him,  "  if  he  would  be  pleased 
to  visit  the  king."     "  I  know  of  no  one  in  the  realm  who 


304  The  Queens  of  England. 

ought  not  rather  to  visit  me,"  he  replied,  haughtily,  and  left 
the  house. 

The  peers  then  referred  it  to  Henr}'  to  decide  whether  he 
or  the  Duke  of  York  had  the  legal  claim  to  the  throne. 
He  replied :  •'  My  father  was  king ;  his  father  was  also 
king ;  I  have  worn  the  crown  forty  years  from  my  cradle  ; 
you  have  all  sworn  fealty  to  me  as  your  sovereign,  and  your 
fathers  have  done  the  like  to  my  father  and  grandfather. 
How,  then,  can  my  right  be  disputed  ?"  Nevertheless,  the 
king  agreed  that  if  he  were  permitted  to  wear  the  crown 
during  his  life,  he  would  resign  it,  at  his  death,  to  the  Duke 
of  York  or  his  heirs.  He  was  next  compelled  to  order  the 
return  of  his  wife  and  son. 

All  the  fire  in  Margaret's  nature  was  aroused  at  hearing 
how  the  rights  of  her  boy  had  been  surrendered,  but  she 
was  without  an  army,  and  what  could  she  do  ?  Suddenly 
it  occurred  to  her  to  seek  assistance  from  the  King  of  Scot- 
land. He  was  the  son  of  a  Lancaster  princess,  and  his  wife 
was  a  friend  and  relation  of  Margaret.  She  caused  a 
report  to  be  circulated  that  she  was  raising  an  army  in 
France,  then  went  secretly  to  Scotland,  and  within  eight 
days  after  her  husband's  order  for  return  had  been  received 
she  crossed  the  Scottish  border  at  the  head  of  the  forces 
she  had  gathered  there,  and  unfurled  the  banner  of  the 
Red  Rose.  Her  numbers  were  increased  by  knights  from 
all  the  northern  counties  of  England,  and  before  the  leaders 
of  the  White  Rose  party  were  aware  of  her  being  in  the 
country  at  all,  she  presented  herself  at  the  gates  of  York. 

The  duke  was  so  taken  by  surprise  at  this  bold  movement 
on  the  part  of  the  queen  that  he  shut  himself  up  in  his  strong 
Castle  of  Sandal  to  await  the  arrival  of  his  son.  But  Mar- 
garet followed  him  up,  and  defied  him  day  after  day  to  meet 
her  in  the  field,  calling  him  a  coward  for  being  afraid  of  a 
woman,  until  he  arranged  his  forces   for  battle,  hoping  to 


1459-  Margaret  of  Anjou.  307 

frighten  her  away.  He  soon  saw  his  mistake  though,  for 
Margaret  was  not  in  the  least  daunted  at  the  sight  of  his 
warriors.  She  did  not  play  the  Amazon  herself  by  fighting, 
but  she  directed  her  own  forces,  under  the  command  of 
Somerset,  in  such  a  way  as  to  enclose  the  Yorkists  from  all 
sides  in  a  net,  as  it  were,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  two 
thousand  of  them  lay  dead  on  the  field,  the  duke  himself 
among  the  number.  Lord  Clifford  cut  off  the  dead  leader's 
head,  crowned  it  with  paper,  and  presented  it  on  the  point 
of  his  lance  to  Queen  Margaret,  saying :  "  Madam,  your 
war  is  done  ;  here  is  your  king's  ransom." 

She  shuddered  at  first  and  turned  away,  then  suddenly 
remembering  all  the  trouble  this  man  had  given  her,  she 
looked  again  and  smiled  in  satisfaction.  She  then  ordered 
the  head  to  be  placed  over  the  gates  of  York,  and  that  of 
the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  who  was  her  prisoner,  to  be  placed 
beside  it,  adding,  that  room  must  be  left  for  those  of  the 
Earls  of  March,  York's  son,  and  Warwick,  which  she  intend- 
ed should  keep  them  company.  This  was  a  grave  mistake, 
and  added  much  to  the  fury  of  her  enemies,  who  stopped 
at  no  deed  of  cruelty  and  horror  after  that. 

Her  next  step  was  to  try  to  rescue  her  husband,  for  which 
purpose  she  hurried  on  to  London.  But  she  was  met  at 
St.  Alban's  by  Warwick's  forces  leading  the  king  in  their 
train.  A  furious  battle  ensued,  but  Margaret's  stout  north- 
em  soldiers  were  too  much  for  the  Londoners,  and  when 
night  came  all  the  Yorkists  fled,  leaving  the  king  behind. 
One  of  his  attendants  hastened  to  the  queen's  quarters  to 
inform  her  that  her  lord  was  near,  whereupon  she  flew  to 
embrace  him.  Accompanied  by  the  Prince  of  Wales  and 
some  of  the  northern  lords,  they  went  to  the  Abbey  church 
of  St.  Albans  to  return  thanks  to  God  for  the  king's  deliv- 
erance. They  were  received  by  the  abbot  and  monks,  who 
prepared  apartments  for  them  in  the  abbey,  where  they 
remained  for  a  while. 


3o8  The  Queens  of  England. 

But  Margaret's  better  feelings  were  all  changed  by  the 
hard  experience  she  had  had,  and  in  her  desire  for  further 
vengeance  she  made  so  many  mistakes  that  she  turned  the 
good-will  of  the  Londoners  towards  her  into  hatred,  and 
they  refused  to  let  her  enter  the  city.  So  she  removed  with 
her  troops  towards  the  northern  counties,  her  husband  and 
son  accompanying  her.  Then  Edward  of  York  entered  Lon- 
don in  triumph.  He  was  received  by  the  citizens  as  their 
deliverer,  and  proclaimed  king  by  the  voice  of  the  people 
under  the  title  of  Edward  IV. 

This  was  considered  the  death-blow  to  the  house  of  Lan- 
caster, but  not  by  the  persistent  Margaret,  who  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days  rallied  an  army  of  sixty  thousand 
men.  Her  generals,  Somerset  and  Clifford,  persuaded  her 
to  stay  with  her  husband  and  son,  while  they  engaged 
Edward  and  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  first  at  Ferrybridge  and 
then  at  Towton.  A  heavy  snow-storm  that  fell  in  the  faces 
of  the  Lancastrians  so  blinded  them  that  their  arrows  did 
not  take  effect,  while  those  of  their  enemy  covered  the  field 
with  forty  thousand  of  their  dead. 

Margaret  fled  to  Scotland,  and  Edward  IV.  forbade  all 
his  subjects  under  pain  of  death  to  hold  any  sort  of  com- 
munication with  her  or  her  husband ;  yet  there  were  many 
faithful  hearts  ready  to  sacrifice  life  and  fortune  to  the 
heroine  of  the  Red  Rose.  She  and  Louis  XL,  then  on 
the  throne  of  France,  were  first  cousins,  and  had  been 
brought  up  together.  To  him  she  now  turned  for  aid,  but 
he  received  her  coldly  when  she  threw  herself  at  his  feet, 
merely  offering  her  a  sum  of  money  providing  she  would 
give  him  Calais  if  she  could  not  return  it  within  a  year. 
The  people  of  England  objected  to  this,  and  thought  that 
as  Calais  was  not  hers  to  give  she  had  committed  treason 
in  making  the  promise. 

After  five  months'  absence  she  returned  to  England  with 


1463-  Margaret  of  Anjou.  ,        309 

two  thousand  volunteers,  obtained  more  assistance  from 
the  Scotch,  and  got  possession  of  several  important  fo«t- 
resses. 

In  the  spring  the  battle  of  Hexham  was  fought,  the  York- 
ists being  victorious.  Margaret  fled  with  her  son  to  the 
nearest  forest,  where,  after  wandering  about  for  awhile,  she 
fell  in  with  a  gang  of  robbers,  who  stole  everything  of  value 
that  she  had  about  her.  While  they  were  quarrelling  over 
the  division  of  the  spoils,  she  snatched  up  her  boy  and  ran 
away  to  the  nearest  thicket.  When  evening  came  on  she 
crept  out  of  her  hiding-place,  dreading  above  all  things 
lest  she  might  fall  in  with  a  band  of  Edward's  troops, 
when  by  the  light  of  the  moon  she  beheld  a  robber  of 
gigantic  size  advancing  towards  her  with  a  drawn  sword. 
Taking  her  son  by  the  hand  she  bravely  advanced  towards 
the  man  with  all  her  natural  dignity  of  bearing  and  said : 
"Here,  my  friend,  save  the  son  of  your  king."  The  rob- 
ber was  struck  with  astonishment,  and  dropping  his  sword, 
offered  to  conduct  them  to  a  place  of  safety,  telling  the 
queen  that  he  was  a  Lancastrian  gentleman  who  had  been 
ruined  in  King  Henry's  service.  Taking  the  prince  in  his 
arms  he  led  Queen  Margaret  to  a  cave  in  the  forest,  where 
his  wife  received  them  and  provided  refreshments.  There 
the  fugitives  remained  for  two  days.  On  the  third  their 
hiding-place  was  discovered  by  the  devoted  followers  who 
were  determined  to  stand  by  Margaret  to  the  very  end. 
These  were  Pierre  de  Brezd,  one  of  her  own  countrymen, 
his  squire,  Barville,  and  an  English  gentleman. 

[A.D.  1463.]  From  them  Margaret  heard  of  the  escape 
of  her  husband  and  of  the  dreadful  fate  of  her  faithful 
friends,  Somerset,  Hungerford,  and  Roos,  who  had  been 
captured  and  beheaded  in  the  public  market-place  of  Hex- 
ham without  trial. 

On  leaving  the  hut  of  the  generous  outlaw,  the  queen 


3  lO  The  Queens  of  England. 

thanked  him  and  his  wife  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  Her 
friends  had  offered  them  money,  which  they  had  refused, 
and  Margaret  had  nothing  left  to  give  them.  "  Of  all  I 
have  lost,"  she  said,  "  I  regret  nothing  so  much  as  the 
power  to  recompense  such  virtue."  She  then  proceeded 
to  Scotland,  reaching  there  only  after  a  great  deal  of  hard- 
ship and  danger,  to  find  that  her  presence  caused  great 
uneasiness  to  the  king,  who  feared  that  it  might  be  the 
means  of  bringing  him  into  trouble  with  England. 

She  embarked  for  Flanders,  where  some  of  the  ladies  of 
the  court  had  taken  refuge,  accompanied  by  the  prince,  the 
faithful  de  Brez^,  and  about  two  hundred  of  those  ruined 
Lancastrians  who  still  had  faith  in  her. 

When  she  arrived  at  St.  Pol,  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  not 
only  received  her  with  honors  and  gave  a  festival  to  wel- 
come her,  but  he  also  assisted  her  with  money.  To  each 
of  her  ladies  he  presented  a  hundred  crowns,  to  de  Brez^, 
who  had  spent  the  whole  of  his  fortune  in  Margaret's  ser- 
vice, a  thousand,  and  to  the  queen  herself  an  order  for 
twelve  thousand  crowns.  This  princely  behavior  on  the 
part  of  the  duke  was  like  heaping  coals  of  fire  on  Mar- 
garet's head,  for  she  had  always  despised  him,  and  had  been 
heard  to  say  more  than  once,  "  that  if  by  any  chance  he 
were  to  fall  into  her  hands  she  would  make  the  axe  pass 
between  his  head  and  his  shoulders."  He  sympathized 
with  her  misfortunes,  and  entertained  her  in  a  way  becom- 
ing her  station,  but  he  would  give  her  no  political  aid  nor 
allow  any  of  his  subjects  to  take  part  in  her  quarrel.  As 
his  guest  she  was  welcome  so  long  as  she  chose  to  stay, 
and  when  she  left  he  provided  her  with  an  escort 

Margaret  next  visited  her  sister  Yolante,  Countess  of 
Vaudemonte,  and  then  her  father  offered  one  of  his  ancient 
castles  in  Verdun  for  her  residence,  where,  with  a  few  of 
her  ruined  friends,  she  devoted  herself  to  the  education  of 
the  last  tender  bud  of  the  Red  Rose  of  Lancaster. 


I 


1463-  Margaret  of  Anjou,  313 

After  King  Henry's  escape  at  the  battle  of  Hexham,  he 
wandered  about,  hiding  himself  in  the  house  of  one  friend 
or  another,  but  most  of  the  time  in  a  cave,  until  he  was 
betrayed  by  a  monk,  and  taken  to  London  under  arrest. 
There  he  was  treated  most  brutally  by  a  mob,  and  after 
being  led  through  the  streets  by  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  who 
kept  shouting  "  Treason,  treason,  and  behold  the  traitor  I " 
he  was  locked  up  in  the  Tower. 

It  seems  that  Edward  IV.  still  feared  Margaret's  power 
in  England,  for  he  had  the  coasts  guarded  to  prevent  her 
return,  and  put  to  the  torture  several  persons  who  were 
pnly  suspected  of  having  assisted  her  with  money. 

Two  years  later  there  was  a  great  change  in  the  politics 
of  England,  and  the  Earl  of  Warwick  took  up  arms  to 
drive  the  king  from  his  throne.  But  he  failed  and  was 
obliged  to  fly  to  France,  where  Louis  received  him.  Now 
Margaret's  relations  saw  a  chance  for  regaining  for  her  the 
throne  she  had  lost,  so  they  all  united  in  trying  to  bring 
about  an  interview  between  her  and  her  bitter  enemy.  At 
first  she  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  ever  seeing  him,  but 
when  he  became  very  humble,  offered  the  most  plausible 
excuses  for  his  conduct,  and  swore  to  defend  her  and  her 
son  with  all  the  power  he  had  once  used  in  opposing  them, 
she  consented  to  pardon  him  and  influenced  her  son  to  do 
the  same.     The  Earl  of  Oxford  also  obtained  her  pardon. 

Prince  Edward  was  then  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  had 
fallen  in  love  with  Anne,  the  Earl  of  Warwick's  second 
daughter.  Margaret  did  all  she  could  to  oppose  this 
match,  but  she  was  at  last  won  over,  and  the  marriage  was 
solemnized  the  following  August,  1470. 

In  the  meantime  Warwick  had  raised  an  army  to  take 
to  England,  whither  he  went  as  soon  as  the  wedding 
ceremonies  were  over.  His  wife.  Queen  Margaret,  Prince 
Edward  and  his  bride  then  went  to  Paris  by  invitation  fro^n 


314  T^h^  Queens  of  England. 

Louis  XI.  The  streets  of  the  city  were  magnificently 
decorated  and  hung  with  rich  tapestry,  and  all  the  officers 
turned  out  in  grand  procession  to  conduct  the  royal  party 
to  the  palace  of  St.  Paul,  that  had  been  fitted  up  for  their 
reception.  It  was  there  that  news  came  of  the  landing  of 
the  Earl  of  Warwick  in  England,  and  of  his  success  in 
liberating  King  Henry  and  placing  him  on  the  throne  once 
more. 

[A.D.  147 1.]  Then  Margaret  with  all  her  party  resolved 
to  return.  In  Februar}-  the  preparations  were  completed, 
and  the  fleet  set  sail  from  Harfleur.  But  wind  and  weather 
were  against  them,  and  after  three  times  being  driven  bacl^ 
to  the  coast  of  Normandy,  with  great  damage  to  the  ships, 
they  resolved  to  wait. 

When  at  last  they  were  able  to  sail  again,  they  were 
sixteen  days  and  nights  making  a  voyage  that  usually  took 
twelve  hours.  After  landing,  they  repaired  to  an  abbey, 
where  they  were  celebrating  Easter  when  the  dreadful  news 
came  of  the  death  of  Warwick  and  the  recapture  of  King 
Henry. 

For  the  first  time  in  her  life  the  poor  queen  was 
completely  crushed,  and  wished  she  might  die  rather  than 
live  for  the  misery  that  was  yet  in  store  for  her.  Some  of 
the  Lancastrian  nobles  sought  her  out,  and  expressed  their 
intention  of  continuing  the  fight  against  Edward  IV.,  and 
at  last  so  aroused  her  from  the  despondent  state  into  which 
she  had  fallen  that  she  consented  to  aid  them.  Placing 
herself  at  the  head  of  an  army  that  they  had  raised,  she 
marched  thirty-seven  miles  in  one  day,  and  met  her  enemy 
within  a  mile  of  Tewksbury. 

When  all  arrangements  were  made  for  the  battle, 
Margaret  rode  about  the  field  from  rank  to  rank,  encourag- 
ing the  soldiers  with  promises  of  large  rewards  if  they  won 
the  victory.     It  proved  a  sorry  day  for  the  Lancaster  cause, 


1479  Margaret  of  Anj'ou.  315 

and  when  Queen  Margaret  saw  her  troops  wofully  defeated 
she  fell  down  in  a  swoon.  She  was  carried  from  the  battle- 
field to  a  small  convent  near  by,  where  her  daughter-in-law 
and  some  of  her  ladies  awaited  her.  She  was  thus  spared 
witnessing  the  fall  of  her  son,  who  was  killed  near  the  close 
of  the  battle  ;  but  when  the  dreadful  truth  was  brought  to 
her,  she  cursed  King  Edward  and  all  his  posterity  in  her 
agony  of  grief. 

When  this  was  repeated  to  the  king,  he  thought  of  putting 
her  to  death,  but  with  a  refinement  of  cruelty  that  was  even 
worse,  he  forced  her  and  the  unfortunate  Princess  of  Wales 
to  take  part  in  his  triumphal  entry  to  London.  Margaret 
was  then  shut  up  in  the  dismal  prison  where  her  husband 
had  been  for  five  years,  but  she  beheld  him  never  again, 
for  he  was  murdered  the  very  night  of  her  arrival  in  the 
gloomy  fortress  of  the  Tower. 

King  Rend  sacrificed  his  inheritance  of  Provence  to 
Louis  XI.  for  the  liberation  of  his  daughter  Margaret. 
Then  an  agreement  having  been  made  between  the  Kings 
of  France  and  England  for  her  ransom,  in  August,  147  5,  she 
landed  in  France,  with  three  ladies  and  seven  gentlemen 
sent  by  her  father  to  escort  her.  Thirty  years  before  she 
had  left  the  shores  of  her  native  land  a  monarch's  bride  in 
all  the  pride  and  flush  of  youthful  beauty ;  she  returned  a 
broken-hearted,  childless  widow,  for  whose  afflictions  it  was 
treason  to  shed  a  tear. 

"  Ambition,  pride,  the  rival  names 
Of  York  and  Lancaster, 
With  all  their  long-contested  claims, 
What  were  they  then  to  her  ?  " 

[A.D.  1479.]  She  died  in  the  fifty-first  year  of  her  age, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral  of  Angers,  in  the  same 
tomb  with  her  royal  parents. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ELIZABETH   WOODVILLE,    QUEEN    OF  EDWARD   IV. 
(A.D.   1431-1492.) 

When  Elizabeth  Woodville  was  maid  of  honor  to  Queen 
Margaret  of  Anjou  she  little  supposed  that  she  would  ever 
ascend  the  throne  of  England,  yet  that  was  her  destiny  not 
many  years  later. 

But,  first,  she  became  the  wife  of  John  Grey,  son  and 
heir  of  the  wealthy  Lord  Ferrers,  who  owned  the  domain  of 
Bradgate,  where  she  lived  until  her  husband's  death.  John 
Grey  was  a  brave,  handsome  man  of  twenty-five  when  he 
married  Elizabeth,  and  occupied  the  important  position  of 
leader  of  Queen  Margaret's  cavalry.  He  was  killed  at  the 
second  battle  of  St.  Albans,  leaving  his  young  wife  with  two 
little  children,  named  Thomas  and  Richard,  both  under 
four  years  of  age.  By  the  cruel  fortunes  of  war  these  little 
ones  were  deprived  of  their  inheritance  of  Bradgate,  and  so, 
with  their  mother,  went  to  live  at  the  Castle  of  Grafton,  which 
belonged  to  the  Duchess  of  Bedford,  Elizabeth's  mother. 

One  day  when  Edward  IV.  was  hunting  in  the  forest  of 
Whittlebury,  the  young  widow  waylaid  him,  and  throwing 
herself  at  his  feet,  pleaded  earnestly  for  the  restoration  of 
Bradgate  to  her  fatherless  boys,  who  stood  by  her  side. 
Struck  by  her  beauty  and  downcast  looks,  the  king  listened 
attentively  to  her  request,  and  not  only  granted  it,  but  fell 
in  love  with  her  on  the  spot.  This  interview  took  place 
beneath  the  shade  of  a  wide-spreading  tree  that  is  known 
to  this  day  as  the  Queen's  Oak. 

316 


ELIZABETH    WOODVILLB. 


1464-  Elizabetk  Woodville.  319 

[A.D.  1464.]  Elizabeth  met  her  royal  lover  many  times 
after  that  in  the  same  place,  and  when  the  Duchess  of  Bed- 
ford, who  was  a  most  ambitious  and  manoeuvring  mother, 
found  out  how  matters  stood,  she  arranged  for  a  private 
marriage,  which  took  place  May  i,  1464,  in  the  town  of 
Grafton. 

The  king's  mother  became  very  angry  when  she  heard  of 
this  unequal  match,  for  she  was  queen  at  that  period,  and 
could  not  bear  to  resign  her  place  to  the  daughter  of  a  man 
who  began  his  career  as  a  poor  squire.  However,  it  was 
too  late  to  lament,  and  in  the  autumn  the  bride  was  led 
by  the  young  Duke  of  Clarence  to  the  abbey-church  of 
Reading,  where  the  king  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  pre- 
sented her  to  the  council  of  peers  assembled  there  as  his 
lawfully  wedded  wife.  Elizabeth  appeared  that  day  in  a 
dress  of  rich  blue  and  gold  brocade  with  a  long,  full  train 
bordered  with  ermine.  The  sleeves  and  body  were  tight, 
and  a  band  of  ermine  around  the  neck,  and,  passing  down 
either  side  of  the  open  skirt  in  front,  displayed  a  rich  satin 
petticoat.  Over  her  yellow  hair,  which  fell  loosely  down  her 
back,  she  wore  a  lofty  crown.  A  costly  pearl  necklace 
encircled  her  throat. 

Queen  Elizabeth  soon  gained  unbounded  influence  over 
the  mind  of  her  husband,  which  she  too  frequently  exerted 
for  the  advancement  of  her  own  relatives.  She  had  a  soft, 
caressing  voice,  and  always  assumed  an  air  of  humility, 
when  desirous  of  gaining  a  point,  that  had  its  weight  with 
Edward.  The  acknowledgment  of  the  king's  marriage  was 
followed  by  a  series  of  the  most  brilliant  feasts  and  tour- 
naments ever  witnessed  in  England. 

The  coronation  of  the  new  queen  took  "place  at  West- 
minster Abbey,  May  26th.  That  morning  the  king  had 
knighted  thirty-two  citizens,  who  preceded  the  queen's  litter 
on  horseback.     After  the  coronation,  which  was  conducted 


320  The  Queens  of  England. 

with  great  solemnity,  a  grand  banquet  was  held,  the  royal 
couple  presiding. 

Elizabeth  was  most  unfortunate  in  soon  incurring  the 
ill-will  of  Warwick,  the  prime  minister,  who  had  been  all- 
powerful  in  England  for  several  years.  It  was  increased 
by  the  influence  gained  through  her  instrumentality  by  the 
various  members  of  her  family.  Before  long,  the  popular 
rage  was  excited  against  the  Woodvilles,  and  England  was 
in  a  state  of  insurrection. 

[A.D.  1469.]  The  queen's  father  and  one  of  her  broth- 
ers concealed  themselves  in  a  forest,  but  were  discovered 
and  beheaded,  without  judge  or  jury.  This  was  a  dreadful 
blow  to  Elizabeth,  who  was  warmly  attached  to  her  family. 
The  king  went  north  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  the  out- 
rage, but  could  not  get  back  for  a  long  time  because  War- 
wick and  the  Duke  of  Clarence  kept  him  under  a  kind  of 
restraint;  however  he  escaped  at  last,  and  got  back  to 
London.  Then  Warwick  and  Clarence  were  so  frightened 
at  having  interfered  with  the  king's  movements  that  they 
got  away  with  their  families  as  quickly  as  possible  and  went 
to  France. 

All  this  time  the  queen  was  safely  lodged  in  the  Tower. 
But  it  was  not  very  long  before  Warwick  returned  to  Eng- 
land, and  Edward  came  so  near  falling  into  his  hands  again 
that  he  fled  half-dressed  one  night  just  as  the  troops 
approached  the  castle,  and  embarked  on  board  a  ship  at 
Lynn. 

Elizabeth  was  so  alarmed  for  her  own  safety  and  that  of 
her  family  that  she  went  at  once  to  a  gloomy  monastery, 
called  the  Sanctuary,  where  her  mother  and  her  three 
daughters,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  and  Cicely,  accompanied  her. 

[A.D.  1470.]  It  was  there  that  the  first  son  of  Edward 
IV.  was  born.  He  was  named  after  his  father,  and  chris- 
tened with  as  little  ceremony  as  though  he  had  been  the 
son  of  the  poorest  man  in  the  kingdom. 


1483.  Elizabeth  Woodville.  323 

By  the  time  the  little  prince  was  five  months  old,  the 
Duke  of  Clarence  had  parted  from  Warwick,  and  Edward 
returned  to  London,  where  he  was  warmly  received.  He 
hastened  to  meet  his  family,  and  removed  them  from  the 
Sanctuary  to  his  mother's  palace,  Castle  Baynard.  Several 
battles  that  he  fought  and  won  after  his  return  put  an  end 
to  so  many  of  Edward's  opponents  —  among  them  War- 
wick, the  most  formidable  —  that  the  house  of  York  was  at 
last  firmly  established  in  power  and  the  rebellion  crushed. 
Then  followed  several  years  of  peace,  when  the  royal 
family  were  settled  at  Windsor  or  at  Westminster,  holding 
court  with  great  state  and  splendor. 

King  Edward's  second  son.  Prince  Richard,  Duke  of 
York,  was  bom  during  this  season  of  enjoyment,  and  when 
he  was  five  years  old  he  was  formally  married  to  Anne 
Mowbray,  infant  heiress  of  the  Duchy  of  Norfolk,  aged 
three. 

The  following  spring  the  singular  death  of  the  Duke  of 
Clarence  occurred.  He  had  been  condemned  to  execution 
for  an  offence  against  the  king,  his  brother,  but  one  morning 
he  was  found  drowned  in  a  butt  of  malmsey.  Clarence 
was  in  the  habit  of  drinking  to  excess,  and  it  was  supposed 
that  he  fell  into  the  butt  of  his  favorite  wine  while  in  a  state 
of  intoxication. 

[A.D.  1483.]  In  1483  King  Edward  was  seized  with  an 
attack  of  fever  that  resulted  in  death.  After  lying  in  state 
for  several  days  his  body  was  interred  with  great  pomp  in 
the  Chapel  of  St.  George. 

Queen  Elizabeth  was  left  in  a  more  unprotected  state 
this  time  than  when  her  first  husband  died.  The  young 
king  was  pursuing  his  studies  at  Ludlow  Castle,  under  the 
care  of  her  brother,  Lord  Rivers.  Elizabeth  proposed  to 
the  council  that  he  should  be  at  once  escorted  to  London 
with  a  powerfiil  army,    but  Lord  Hastings,  who  presided. 


324 


The  Queens  of  England. 


could  see  no  necessity  for  such  a  step,  and  so,  unfortu- 
nately for  young  Edward,  it  was  not  taken. 

Meanwhile  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  who  was  in  Scot- 
land, caused  Edward  V.  to  be  proclaimed  at  York,  and 
wrote  such  a  kind,  deferential  letter  to  the  queen,  that  she 
felt  she  had  a  friend  in  this  first  prince  of  the  blood. 

The  council  then  commanded  Earl  Rivers  to  bring  the 
young  king  to  London,  and  Elizabeth  was  eagerly  awaiting 
him,  when  news  was  brought  to  her  that  the  Dukes  of 


VAULT  OF  ST.  GEORGE'S  CHAPEL. 


Gloucester  and  Buckingham  had  met  him  with  an  armed 
force,  seized  his  person,  and  arrested  Earl  Rivers  and  Lord 
Richard  Grey,  who  were  with  him.  The  poor  mother  could 
scarcely  believe  such  an  astonishing  rieport.  As  soon  as 
the  Archbishop  of  York  heard  what  had  happened,  he  took 
the  great  seal  and  carried  it  to  Elizabeth,  assuring  her  that 
if  an  attempt  were  made  to  crown  anybody  but  her  eldest 
son  he  would  take  it  upon  himself  to  crown  Richard.  But, 
when  on  the  following  day,  he  saw  the  Thames  covered  with 
boatloads  of  Gloucester's  soldiers,  placed  there  to  watch 
the  queen,  he  regretted  what  he  had  done,  and  went  to  the 


1483-  Elizabeth   Woodville.  325 

Sanctuary,  where   Elizabeth   had  taken  refuge   with   the 
Duke  of  York,  to  get  the  seal  back  again. 

The  4th  of  May  had  been  appointed  for  the  coronation 
of  Edward  V.  He  entered  the  city  surrounded  by  a  retinue 
of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester's  officers,  headed  by  the  treach- 
erous duke  himself,  and,  under  some  pretence,  was  lodged 
in  the  royal  apartments  of  the  Tower,  the  coronation  hav- 
ing been  postponed  for  some  trivial  reason. 


BLOODY    TOWER. 


Gloucester's  next  object  was  to  get  possession  of  Prince 
Richard.  He  would  have  taken  him  by  force,  but  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  took  it  upon  himself  to  persuade 
Elizabeth  to  give  him  up.  This  he  accomplished,  after  a 
great  deal  of  persuasion,  by  working  upon  her  sympathies 
and  telling  her  of  the  loneliness  of  her  eldest  son,  Edward, 
who  was  pining  for  a  playmate.  At  last  it  was  agreed  that 
the  child  should  go  to  his  brother  until  after  the  corona- 
tion, for  which  preparations  were  going  on  night  and  day. 

But  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  intended  that  no  such  coro- 
nation should  ever  take  place,  so  he  brought  shameful 
accusations  against  Elizabeth  and  her  children,  put  several 


326  The  Queens  of  England. 

of  her  adherents  to  death,  and  finally  had  himself  crowned 
King  of  England  on  the  26th  of  June. 

In  less  than  a  month  from  that  date  the  two  little  princes, 
whom  he  had  kept  shut  up  in  the  Tower,  were  murdered 
by  his  order.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  agony  of  the 
poor  mother  when  she  learned  the  fate  of  her  two  dear 
little  boys.  She  cried  to  God  for  vengeance  on  the  wretch 
who  had  committed  so  foul  a  crime.  Only  a  few  months 
later  Richard  of  Gloucester's  only  son,  for  whose  advance- 
ment he  had  shed  so  much  innocent  blood,  died. 

Elizabeth  was  forced  to  submit  to  the  will  of  the  usurper, 
whose  acts  of  tyranny  rendered  her  existence  bitter  in  the 
extreme.  But  she  lived  to  see  her  daughter  Elizabeth 
on  the  throne  of  England,  as  the  wife  of  Henry  VII.,  and 
her  own  restoration  to  liberty. 

[A.D.  1492.]  She  died  in  1492,  attended  in  her  last  ill 
ness  by  the  most  affectionate  care  of  her  daughter.  Her 
funeral  was  conducted  with  the  utmost  simplicity,  and  she 
was  buried  at  St.  George's  Chapel,  in  the  tomb  with 
Edward  IV.  The  monument  is  of  steel,  representing  a 
double  gate  between  two  ancient  Gothic  towers.  On  a  flat 
stone,  at  the  foot  of  this  monument,  is  engraved  : 

King  Edward,  and  his  Queen, 
Elizabeth  Woodville. 


CRYPT    IN    TOWER. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ANNE   OF  WARWICK,    QUEEN  OF  RICHARD   III. 
(A.D.  1454-1485.) 

Few  women  living  only  to  the  age  of  thirty-one,  have 
known  as  much  sufEering  and  sorrow  as  came  to  the  lot  of 
Anne  of  Warwick  in  that  limited  space  of  time.  The 
greater  part  of  her  childhood  was  passed  at  Calais,  but  she 
was  in  England  with  her  father,  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  at 
intervals  during  the  struggles  between  the  houses  of  York 
and  Lancaster,  in  which  he  took  such  a  prominent  part, 
and  fled  with  him  in  terror  after  Edward  IV.  escaped  from 
his  clutches.  The  misery  and  danger  of  that  flight  to 
France  came  to  an  end  at  last,  and  then  succeeded  a  few 
months  of  genuine  happiness  for  this  young  girl. 

[A.D.  1470.]  The  treaty  concluding  her  marriage 
with  Edward  of  Lancaster  having  been  duly  concluded, 
Anne  was  united  to  him  shortly  after  her  return  to  France, 
only  to  be  deprived  of  his  beloved  companionship  within  the 
year,  for  he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Tewksbury,  and  she 
was  left  a  widow  at  seventeen.  The  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
being  Anne's  cousin,  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  her  during 
her  childhood,  for  they  were  nearly  of  the  same  age,  and 
had  shared  each  other's  pastimes.  But  he  had  such  a 
dreadful  temper,  and  was,  besides,  so  disagreeable,  being 
humpbacked  and  ungainly,  that  Anne  was  not  fond  of  him. 
He,  on  the  contrary,  was  so  much  in  love  Avith  her,  that  no 
sooner  was  she  free  to  marry  than  he  determined  to  make 
her  his  wife. 

337 


328  The  Queens  of  England. 

Being  under  the  same  charge  of  treason  that  included  her 
mother  and  Queen  Margaret,  after  the  Duke  of  Gloucester 
had  assumed  the  reins  of  government,  she  was  in  his  power. 
But  she  tried  hard  to  elude  his  attentions  and  even  went  so 
far  as  to  take  a  situation  in  a  house  in  London  disguised 
as  a  cook.  The  wily  humpback  found  her  out,  however, 
and  placed  her  in  a  convent  for  safe-keeping.  After  a  time 
she  was  permitted  to  seek  the  protection  of  her  uncle,  the 
Archbishop  of  York,  but  his  arrest  left  her  again  exposed 
to  the  persecutions  of  her  hated  cousin,  who,  by  a  series  of 
wicked  deeds,  forced  her  at  last  to  marry  him. 

[A.D.  1473.]  The  ceremony  took  place  at  Westminster 
in  1473,  and  then  poor  Anne  was  more  unhappy  than  ever. 
She  lived  at  Middleham  Castle  in  Yorkshire,  where,  for  a 
time  at  least,  she  was  rid  of  her  hated  tyrant  of  a  husband, 
for  he  was  engaged  fighting  the  Scotch,  and  only  returned 
after  the  death  of  Edward  IV.,  as  mentioned  in  the  last 
reign. 

In  1474  the  son  was  bom  for  whom  the  Earl  of  Glouces- 
ter had  so  foully  steeped  his  soul  in  crime.  This  child  was 
Anne's  one  source  of  comfort  and  joy,  and  on  him  she  lav- 
ished all  her  affections. 

A  few  days  after  his  return  from  Scotland  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester  started,  as  we  have  seen,  with  a  troop  of  soldiers 
to  intercept  his  nephew,  Edward  V.,  on  his  way  to  London, 
and  proceeded  with  the  hapless  boy  in  his  charge. 

Anne  joined  her  husband  after  he  had  caused  the  murder 
of  his  two  nephews  in  the  Tower,  and  shared  the  coronation 
for  which  he  had  committed  so  many  shameful  and  out- 
rageous deeds.  The  very  preparations  that  had  been  made 
for  the  coronation  of  Edward  V.  served  to  grace  that  cere- 
mony when  his  cruel  uncle  usurped  his  rights,  and  the 
same  day  Gloucester's  son,  Edward,  was  created  Prince  of 
Wales. 


ANNE  OF  WARWICK. 


»485. 


Anne  of  Warwick. 


331 


A  banquet  succeeded,  and  every  detail  of  the  entire  cere- 
mony was  conducted  with  great  splendor.  Then  the 
royal  couple,  attended  by  the  prince,  passed  through  the 
metropolis  in  procession  and  took  up  their  abode  at  Wind- 
sor Castle.  Later  they  kept  court  in  grand  style  at 
Warwick  Castle  for  a  week,  and  afterwards  travelled 
through  the  kingdom;  At  York  these  new  sovereigns  were 
crowned  once  more,  and  soon  after  Richard  III.  was  re- 
called to  London  on  account  of  an  insurrection  headed  by 
the  Duke  of  Buckingham.  Anne  accompanied  him,  leaving 
her  son  under  the  protection  of  friends  in  the  north,  where 
she  thought  he  would  be  safer  than  in  London.  She  never 
beheld  the  child  again,  for  he  died  during  her  absence. 
The  shock  caused  by  this  sudden  and  dreadful  calamity  so 
crushed  the  unfortunate  mother  that  her  health  began  to 
decline. 

When  she  was  ill  and  suffering  her  wicked  husband  was 
more  unkind  to  her  than  ever.  He  seemed  anxious  to  be 
rid  of  her,  and  shed  only  a  few  hypocritical  tears  when  she 
died. 

In  1485  the  heart-broken  Anne  of  Warwick  was  buried 
at  Westminster,  not  far  from  the  altar. 

Richard  III.  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Bosworth  within 
the  year. 


DUNGEON    TOWER. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

ELIZABETH    OF  YORK,    QUEEN   OF   HENRY  VH. 
(A.D.  1466-1503.) 

This  princess  was  the  daughter  of  Edward  IV.  and  Eliza- 
beth Woodville,  whose  secret  marriage  caused  so  much 
trouble.  She  was  shut  up  in  the  sanctuary  while  her  father's 
throne  was  in  jeopardy,  and  danced  at  the  balls  given  to 
celebrate  his  restoration.  She  was  at  that  time  only  six 
years  old,  and  when  she  reached  the  advanced  age  of  nine 
her  hand  had  been  promised  in  marriage  four  times  as  a 
peace-offering  from  her  father  to  other  monarchs, 

Elizabeth  was  well  educated,  for  at  a  very  early  age  she 
could  read  and  write  her  own  language,  as  well  as  French 
and  Spanish.  She  was  sixteen  when  her  little  brothers 
were  murdered  in  the  Tower,  and  her  love  for  them  had 
been  so  great  that  she  grieved  very  deeply  over  their  cruel 
fate.  Her  engagement  with  Henry  of  Richmond,  who 
afterwards  ascended  the  throne,  turned  her  attention  from 
this  dreadful  event  somewhat.  Elizabeth  was  separated 
from  her  mother  when  they  left  the  sanctuary,  and  went  to 
the  court  of  Richard  HI.,  whose  queen  always  treated  her 
with  great  kindness  and  consideration. 

Lord  Stanley,  Henry  Tudor's  stepfather,  occupied  a  very 
high  position  at  court,  and  to  him  the  Princess  Elizabeth 
applied  for  assistance  in  getting  possession  of  the  throne, 
to  which  she  knew  she  had  a  right.  Stanley  had  several 
secret  interviews  with  the  princess  on  this  subject,  and 
assured  her  that,  at  his  bidding,  his  adherents  in  the  north- 
333 


ELIZABETH    OF    YORK. 


1485-  Elizabeth  of  York.  335 

west  would  fly  to  her  side,  armed  and  equipped  for  battle. 
But,  like  many  of  the  earls  of  his  day,  Lord  Stanley  could 
not  write,  and  he  did  not  dare  trust  a  public  scribe  with  his 
directions.  Thereupon  Elizabeth  assured  him  that  if  he 
would  only  dictate,  and  affix  his  seal,  she  would  do  all  the 
necessary  writing.  For  this  purpose  they  met  in  disguise. 
Six  letters  were  duly  prepared  and  sealed,  and  committed 
to  the  care  of  Humphrey  Brereton,  a  knight  who  had  been 
attached  to  the  cause  of  Edward  IV.  These  dangerous 
despatches  were  delivered  according  to  their  directions,  and 
on  his  return  from  the  expedition  Brereton  met  Stanley 
and  Elizabeth  at  an  old  inn  in  the  suburbs  of  London,  with 
a  party  of  gentlemen  who  had  returned  with  him.  This 
meeting  took  place  at  night,  and  when  Elizabeth  had  satis- 
fied herself  that  no  prejudice  existed  among  these  men 
against  her  Lancastrian  lover,  she  agreed  to  send  him  a 
ring  through  them  as  a  token  that  he  might  trust  himself  in 
Stanley's  power.  Brereton  carried  this  ring  to  Henry,  who 
was  at  a  monastery  some  miles  from  Rennes.  The  lover 
kissed  his  lady's  present,  but  kept  the  messenger  waiting 
three  weeks  for  his  answer.  Henry  Tudor  had  been  a 
fugitive  and  a  prisoner  nearly  all  his  life,  and  extreme 
caution  had  become  second  nature  to  him. 

At  last  he  consented  to  undertake  an  expedition  that 
would  either  make  or  mar  him,  and  sailed  from  Harfleur 
with  a  large  fleet.  He  was  received  in  England  with  a 
hearty  welcome,  for  the  people  regarded  him  as  a  saviour 
who  was  to  preserve  them  from  Richard's  tyranny. 

[A.D.  1485.]  On  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  August, 
1485,  three  weeks  after  his  arrival,  Henry  encamped  with 
his  army  near  Bosworth.  The  next  day  the  celebrated 
battle  was  fought,  which  terminated  the  life  of  Richard 
in.,  and  placed  Henry  Tudor  on  the  throne. 

After  the  death  of  Anne  of  Warwick  Richard  HI.  had 


33^  ^^^  Queens  of  England. 

sent  his  niece,  Elizabeth,  to  a  castle  in  Yorkshire,  wnere 
she  was  kept  as  a  close  prisoner,  and  the  first  intimation 
she  had  of  her  royal  lover's  success  was  when  the  people 
of  the  neighborhood  gathered  about  the  gloomy  building 
with  shouts  of  joy.  A  guard  of  nobility  and  gentry  escorted 
her  in  state  to  London,  and  she  went  in  company  with  her 
mother  to  live  at  Westminster  Palace. 

Henry  VII.  was  recognized  as  King  of  England,  and 
crowned  soon  after ;  but  he  seemed  in  no  hurry  about  his 
marriage,  which  did  not  take  place  until  January  i8th  of 
the  following  year.  The  event  was  celebrated  with  bon- 
fires, banquets,  dancing  and  songs,  and  the  prelate  who 
performed  the  ceremony  held  a  bunch  of  red  and  white 
roses,  tied  together  for -the  first  time.  This  was  in  com- 
memoration of  the  union  of  the  rival  houses  of  York  and 
Lancaster. 

[A.D.  i486.]  The  royal  couple  then  went  to  live  at 
Winchester,  where  in  the  course  of  a  year  their  first  child 
was  born.  He  was  named  Arthur,  after  King  Henry's 
favorite  hero  and  ancestor. 

[A.D.  1487.]  The  birth  of  this  prince  was  succeeded  by 
his  mother's  coronation,  which  took  place  in  November, 
1487.  On  the  Friday  before  that  important  ceremony 
Elizabeth  went  with  her  husband  from  London  to  Green- 
wich. She  was  accompanied  on  the  river  Thames  by 
a  grand  pageant  of  boats,  the  finest  being  rowed  by  the 
students  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  who  had  beautiful  music  per- 
formed on  their  barge  throughout  the  route,  and  kept 
side  by  side  with  that  of  the  queen.  That  night  was  passed 
at  the  Tower,  where  the  king  created  eleven  Knights  of  the 
Bath,  and  the  next  day  Elizabeth  proceeded  through  the 
city  to  Westminster  Palace.  An  immense  crowd  collected 
to  behold  their  queen,  as  this  was  her  first  public  appear- 
ance since  her  marriage. 


1487.  Elizabeth  of  York.  337 

She  was  not  quite  twenty-two ;  her  figure  was  tall  and 
handsome  ;  her  complexion  fair  and  brillant.  She  had, 
besides,  soft  blue  eyes  and  delicate  features,  set  off  by  a 
profusion  of  yellow  hair.  Her  costume  on  this  occasion 
was  a  gown  of  white  "silk,  brocaded  with  gold,  and  a  mantle 
of  the  same  material,  bordered  with  ermine  and  fastened 
across  the  breast  with  gold  cords  and  tassels.  A  close- 
fitting  cap,  formed  of  rich  gems  in  a  golden  network, 
encircled  her  head,  and  her  hair  fell  loosely  around  her 
shoulders. 

The  young  queen  was  borne  in  an  open  litter,  and  four 
of  the  new  Knights  of  the  Bath  supported  a  rich  canopy 
over  her  head.  She  was  preceded  by  four  baronesses,  riding 
on  gray  horses,  and  Henry's  Uncle  Jasper,  as  grand  steward. 
Lord  Stanley,  now  Earl  of  Derby,  was  high  constable,  and 
the  Earl  of  Oxford,  Lord  Chamberlain.  The  queen  was 
followed  by  her  sister  Cicely,  who  sat  in  an  open  chariot 
with  the  Duchess  of  Bedford,  and  a  long  train  of  other 
vehicles  containing  noble  ladies,  the  rear  being  brought  up 
by  six  baronesses  on  horseback.  The  streets  were  all 
decorated,  and  a  chorus  of  children,  dressed  as  angels, 
sang  the  queen's  praises  as  she  passed  along. 

The  following  morning  Elizabeth  entered  Westminster 
Hall  in  a  rich  robe  of  purple  velvet  edged  with  ermine. 
A  coronet  of  gold,  set  with  large  pearls  and  colored  gems, 
encircled  her  brow.  She  stood  under  a  canopy  of  state, 
and  then,  followed  by  her  attendants,  proceeded  to  the 
abbey.  A  strip  of  carpet  over  which  she  walked  was  cut 
to  pieces  and  distributed  among  the  throng  assembled  to 
gaze  upon  her,  and  so  eager  were  they  to  possess  them- 
selves of  this  memento  that  several  people  were  trampled 
to  death.  King  Henry  and  his  mother  took  no  part  in  the 
coronation,  but  sat  in  a  latticed  box  placed  for  their  use, 
and  observed  both  the  church  ceremony  and  the  banquet, 


338  The  Queens  of  England. 

at  which  the  queen  presided,  afterwards.  From  that  time 
she  appeared  in  public  with  all  the  splendor  of  a  Queen  of 
England. 

[A.D.  1489.]  In  1489  a  little  princess  was  born;  she 
was  named  Margaret  after  the  king's  mother,  who  presented 
the  infant  with  a  silver  box  filled  with  gold  pieces.  At  the 
christening  a  play  was  performed  before  the  royal  family 
at  the  palace. 

[A.D.  1 49 1.]  The  second  prince,  who  afterwards  reigned 
as  Henry  VIII.,  was  born  June'  28,  1491.  He  was  always 
remarkable  for  strength  and  robust  health,  but  we  shall 
have  more  to  say  about  him  hereafter. 

Queen  Elizabeth  was  so  generous,  not  only  to  her  own 
family,  but  to  those  of  her  subjects  who  brought  her  trifling 
presents  of  early  vegetables,  fruit,  or  flowers,  that  she  often 
found  herself  in  debt,  and  had  to  pawn  her  plate  or  jewels 
to  satisfy  her  creditors.  But  her  own  wants  were  limited, 
and  she  managed  her  personal  expenses  with  economy. 

[A.D.  1495.]  In  1495  the  king  and  queen  were  in 
great  trouble  on  accoimt  of  the  invasion  of  Perkin  Warbeck, 
who  was  married  to  one  of  Henry's  nearest  relatives. 
This  man  was  ah  impostor,  but  so  active  in  his  movements, 
appearing  in  quick  succession  in  various  parts  of  the 
realm,  that  for  seven  long  years  there  was  danger  of  his 
usurping  the  crown.  At  last,  the  battle  of  Blackheath 
decided  his  cause ;  for  it  was  won  by  King  Henry,  and 
Perkin  was  soon  after  captured.  Henry  did  not  wish  to 
shed  the  blood  of  this  kinsman,  but  it  became  absolutely 
necessary  before  peace  could  be  restored.  He  was  there- 
fore hanged  at  Tyburn,  November  16,  1499.  The  Earl  of 
Warwick  had  allowed  himself  to  become  so  implicated  in 
Perkin's  schemes  that  he  too  was  condemned  to  death; 
his  execution  took  place  on  Tower  Hill  a  fortnight  later. 

[A.D.  1499.]     A  dreadful  plague  broke  out  in  England, 


I503-  Elizabeth  of  York.  339 

the  same  year,  and  the  king  felt  so  alarmed  for  the  safety 
of  his  family  that  he  took  them  to  Calais,  where  they 
resided  for  a  couple  of  months.  During  that  period  two 
marriages  of  great  importance  were  agreed  upon.  One 
was  between  the  little  Princess  Mary,  Henry's  youngest 
daughter,  and  Charles,  son  of  the  archduke,  Philip  of 
Austria ;  the  other  was  between  Arthur,  Prince  of  Wales, 
and  Katharine  of  Arragon,  but  within  five  months.  Prince 
Arthur  was  dead.  The  king  and  queen  were  at  Greenwich 
Palace  when  the  loss  of  their  eldest  son  was  made  known 
to  them.  Each  tried  to  comfort  the  other  and  to  bear  the 
sad  bereavement  with  Christian  fortitude.  But  Arthur  had 
been  a  promising  youth,  and  it  was  long  before  his  afflicted 
mother  could  reconcile  herself  to  his  death. 

The  following  January,  1502,  the  Princess  Margaret  was 
betrothed  to  James  VI.  of  Scotland.  The  ceremony  was 
performed  at  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  and  presided  over  h^ 
the  queen,  who  afterwards  led  her  daughter  by  the  hand  ic 
a  grand  banquet  prepared  at  the  Bishop  of  London's  Palace 
Margaret,  who  was  only  a  little  over  twelve  years  of  age 
remained  in  England  to  finish  her  education  under  hei 
mother's  care. 

[A.D.  1503.]  But  on  February  11,  1503,  the  gentle, 
pious,  lovely,  and  dearly-loved  Queen  Elizabeth  expired, 
suddenly,  after  a  very  short  illness.  This  event  cast  a 
gloom  over  the  whole  city ;  the  bells  of  St.  Paul's  and  of 
all  the  churches  in  London  tolled  dismally,  and  the  utmost 
sorrow  was  felt  in  every  household. 

The  queen's  body  was  embalmed  and  placed  within  the 
Tower  Chapel  where  it  lay  in  state  for  twelve  days.  Then^ 
after  mass  had  been  celebrated,  it  was  placed  in  a  hearse 
covered  with  black  velvet,  on  which  was  a  large  white  cross. 
An  image  exactly  representing  the  queen  was  placed  in  a 
chair  above.     This  image  was  decked  out  with  royal  robes, 


340 


The  Queens  of  England. 


crown,  sceptre,  jewels  and  every'thing  just  as  Elizabeth  had 
appeared  when  living.  Four  women  kneeled  by  the  chair, 
on  top  of  the  hearse,  which  was  drawn  by  six  horses,  in 
black  velvet  trappings,  from  the  Tower  to  Westminster. 
The  horses  were  led  by  men  robed  in  black ;  eight  ladies 
of  honor  rode  singly  after  the  hearse,  followed  by  the  lord- 


CHAPEL    OF    HENRY    Vll. 


mayor,  other  authorities,  and  a  long  train  of  citizens.  At 
every  door  in  the  city  stood  a  man  bearing  a  lighted  torch, 
and  at  various  points  groups  of  thirty-seven  virgins,  that 
number  corresponding  with  the  queen's  age,  were  stationed, 
all  dressed  in  white  and  holding  lighted  tapers.  Torches 
burned  before  all  the  churches,  and  bands  of  monks  and 


1503. 


Elizabeth  of  York. 


341 


nuns,  singing  anthems,  met  the  funeral  procession  as  it 
moved  along.  The  Earl  of  Derby  led  a  party  of  nobles, 
who  preceded  the  hearse  into  the  churchyard  of  St. 
Margaret,  Westminster.  The  body  was  carried  into  the 
abbey,  where  it  was  placed  on  a  dais  richly  covered  with 
velvet  drapery,  on  which  the  queen's  motto  :  "  Humble  and 
Reverent,"  was  embroidered.  All  the  lords  and  ladies  in 
attendance  then  retired  to  Westminster  Palace  and  took 
supper.  Next  morning  the  remains  of  Elizabeth  were  put 
in  the  grave. 

Henry  VII.  lived  seven  years  after  his  wife's  death,  and 
developed  some  very  bad  traits  when  her  influence  was 
removed.  He  had  never  permitted  her  to  have  any  voice 
in  the  government  of  the  realm,  but  in  her  gentle  loving 
manner  she  had  prompted  him  to  many  a  generous,  sensible 
action.  He  died  in  1509,  and  was  buried  in  the  splendid 
chapel  at  Westminster  Abbey  which  bears  his  name. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

KATHARINE   OF  ARRAGON,    FIRST   QUEEN   OF 
HENRY  VIII.     (A.D.  1485-1536.) 

Katharine  of  Arragon  was  born  when  her  native  land 
was  at  the  very  height  of  its  prosperity.  Her  parents  were 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  the  powerful  and  popular  sover- 
eigns, who  had  conquered  nearly  the  whole  of  Spain. 

Katharine's  early  infancy  was  passed  in  a  camp  where 
Queen  Isabella  resided  with  her  young  family  while  her 
anny  besieged  the  town  of  Granada.  This  siege  lasted 
for  several  years,  but  the  town  was  taken  at  last ;  and  when 
Katharine  was  four  years  old  she  accompanied  her  parents 
in  their  grand  triumphal  entry  into  Granada,  where  she  lived 
until  she  went  to  England. 

Her  residence  was  in  the  Alhambra,  that  gorgeous  palace, 
once  the  abode  of  the  Moorish  kings,  always  an  object  of 
wonder  and  admiration,  even  to  this  ver}'  day  when  it  is 
almost  in  ruins.  Part  of  her  time  was  passed  in  the  cool, 
shady  bowers  of  the  Generalife,  the  fairy  palace  which  stood 
on  a  mountain  high  above  the  Alhambra,  in  the  midst  of 
luxuriant  groves,  fruit,  flowers,  arbors  and  hedges,  such  as 
only  a  southern  climate  can  produce.  It  was  from  this 
home  that  Katharine  took  her  device  of  the  pomegranate, 
which  was  used  during  her  reign  in  England  as  a  decora- 
tion. This  fruit  was  once  a  production  of  Granada,  and 
was  worked  on  the  coat-of-arms  of  the  Moorish  kings. 

Queen  Isabella  was  the  most  learned  princess  of  her 
time  in  Europe,  and  knew  the  importance  of  a  good  edu- 
342 


KATHARINE   OF  ARRAGON. 


1485.  Katharine  of  Arragon.  345 

cation  for  her  four  daughters.  Consequently  she  provided 
them  with  the  very  best  tutors  she  could  find,  and  they 
early  became  excellent  Latin  scholars.  Katharine  read 
the  Scriptures  in  that  tongue,  and  throughout  her  whole 
life  continued  to  study  it. 

When  she  was  sixteen  years  old  Henry  VII.  of  England 
sent  ambassadors  to  Spain  to  demand  her  hand  in  mar- 
riage for  his  son,  Prince  Arthur.  The  union  was  agreed 
upon,  and  Katharine  sailed  with  four  young  ladies  and 
other  attendants  for  Plymouth,  where  she  was  received  by 
a  crowd  of  nobility  and  gentry,  who  entertained  her  all  the 
time  she  was  amongst  them  with  a  variety  of  sports  pecu- 
liar to  their  country.  As  soon  as  her  arrival  was  known 
the  king  sent  Lord  Brook,  steward  of  the  royal  palace,  to 
provide  everything  for  her  comfort.  The  Duchess  of  Nor- 
folk and  the  Earl  of  Surrey  went  to  meet  her  also,  and  the 
former  remained  as  her  companion. 

The  following  month  the  king  himself  set  out  for  Ply- 
mouth, but  the  roads  were  in  such  a  wet,  muddy  condition 
that  it  was  several  days  before  he  reached  East  Hampstead, 
where  he  met  Prince  Arthur,  who  did  not  until  then  know 
of  the  arrival  of  his  bride.  Next  morning  they  continued 
their  journey,  but  had  not  gone  far  when  they  were  met  by 
a  party  of  Spanish  cavaliers  on  horseback,  who  stopped 
them,  and  in  a  most  solemn  manner  informed  them  that 
they  could  not  proceed  further,  because  their  Moorish  cus- 
toms forbade  the  royal  bridegroom  or  his  father  to  look 
upon  the  face  of  the  bride  until  she  stood  at  the  altar. 

King  Henr)'  was  amazed.  He  was  quite  willing  to 
observe  all  reasonable  forms  and  ceremonies,  but  to  his 
English  ideas  this  seemed  thoroughly  absurd,  and  he  was 
not  willing  to  turn  back. 

He  had  come  to  a  dead  halt  in  the  drenching  rain  on 
that  cold  November  morning,  and  felt  rather  cross  at  bav- 


346  The  Queens  of  England. 

ing  his  progress  thus  interrupted.  After  a  few  moments 
consideration  he  called  his  councillors  about  him,  and 
asked  what  he  should  do.  A  long  discussion  ensued,  and 
the  conclusion  was,  "  that  the  Spanish  infanta,  being  now  in 
the  heart  of  this  realm^of  which  King  Henry  was  master, 
he  might  look  at  her  if  he  liked."  This  suited  the  king 
precisely,  and,  leaving  his  son  behind,  he  rode  rapidly  for- 
ward to  the  next  town,  where  Katharine  had  arrived  only  a 
couple  of  hours  before.  Her  retinue  were  thrown  into  a 
terrible  state  of  perplexity  when  Henry  made  a  request  to 
see  her,  and  presented  himself  for  that  purpose  at  the  very 
door  of  her  apartments.  An  archbishop,  a  bishop,  and  a 
count  stood  guard,  and  informed  the  king  "  that  the  lady 
infanta  had  retired  to  her  chamber."  But  the  more  opposi- 
tion he  met  with  the  more  his  curiosity  was  aroused,  and 
the  more  determined  was  he  to  see  the  bride.  He  declared 
that  "  if  she  were  even  in  bed  he  meant  to  see  and  speak 
with  her,  for  that  was  his  mind  and  the  whole  intent  of  his 
coming." 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  said,  and  further  opposi- 
tion might  have  given  serious  offence  to  the  monarch, 
therefore  the  infanta  dressed  herself  and  admitted  him. 
The  interview  must  have  been  rather  unsatisfactory,  because 
neither  could  speak  the  language  of  the  other;  however 
somebody  must  have  interpreted  what  was  said,  for  King 
Henry  seemed  much  pleased. 

He  withdrew. to  change  his  damp  garments,  and  within 
half  an  hour  presented  himself  again  at  Katharine's  door, 
this  time  with  the  prince,  who  had  followed  him.  In  the 
presence  of  several  bishops  and  nobles  the  young  people 
went  through  the  ceremony  of  betrothal,  which  was  done 
in  Latin,  and  therefore  understood  by  both.  After  supper 
the  king  and  Prince  Arthur  returned  to  the  infanta's  apart- 
ments, where  the  evening  was  passed  in  music  and  dancing, 


I50I'  Katharine  of  Arragon.  349 

interspersed  with  singing  by  the  minstrels.  Prince  Arthur 
could  not  join  in  the  Spanish  dances,  but  he  knew  the 
English  ones,  and  went  through  the  figures  with  one  of  the 
ladies  of  his  own  country. 

Katharine  continued  her  journey  next  day,  and  on  her 
arrival  at  Kingston  was  met  by  the  Duke  of  Buckingham 
on  horseback,  the  Earl  of  Kent,  Lord  Henry  Stafford,  the 
Abbot  of  Bury,  and  four  hundred  dukes  and  gentlemen,  in 
the  Stafford  livery  of  scarlet  and  black,  who  came  to  wel- 
come her  into  the  realm.  She  rested  at  that  place  all  night, 
and  was  escorted  to  Kennington  Palace  next  day  by  Buck- 
ingham and  his  train.  There  she  stopped  until  the  Span- 
ish retinue,  as  well  as  all  the  nobility  of  England,  could 
make  the  necessary  preparations  for  her  grand  entry  to 
London. 

In  the  meantime  King  Henry  went  to  meet  his  wife  at 
Richmond,  and  to  tell  her  what  he  thought  of  their  new 
daughter-in-law.  The  royal  couple  then  came  down  the 
Thames,  in  a  barge,  with  a  party  of  ladies  to  welcome  the 
stranger. 

Three  days  later  the  infanta  entered  the  city  by  London 
Bridge,  riding  on  a  large  mule,  according  to  the  Spanish 
custom.  The  Duke  of  York  rode  on  her  right  and  the 
pope's  ambassador  on  her  left.  She  had  on  a  broad,  round 
hat,  the  shape  of  those  worn  by  cardinals,  tied  down  at  the 
sides  with  a  scarf  of  gold  lace.  Under  this  hat  was  a  closely- 
fitting  red  cap,  and  her  long  dark  h^r  streamed  over  her 
shoulders.  Her  four  Spanish  damsels  followed  on  mules, 
each  led  by  an  English  lady,  dressed  in  cloth  of  gold  and 
ridin'-  on'  a  small  horse.  After  these  came  the  whole  grand 
procession,  and  all  advanced  to  Bishop's  Palace. 

[A.D.  1 501.]  Four  days  later  the  marriage  ceremony 
was  performed  at  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  on  a  platform  six 
feet  high  and  large  enough  to  hold  eight  persons.     The 


350 


The  Queens  of  England. 


bride,  who  never  entirely  gave  up  her  Spanish  style  of  dress, 
wore  a  closely-fitting  cap  of  white  silk,  from  which  hung  the 
Spanish  mantilla,  embroidered  with  gold,  pearls  and  pre- 
cious stones,  that  almost  concealed  her  figure.  Her  body 
and  sleeves  were  made  very  full,  and  she  wore  a  large  hoop 
under  her  skirts. 

Prince  Arthur  was  dressed  in  white  satin.     The  Arch- 
bishop  of  Canterbury  and  nineteen  bishops   and   abbots 


LONDON     BRIDGE. 


were  present  at  the  ceremony.  The  king  and  queen  sat  in 
a  box  that  had  been  built  for  their  use  near  the  platform. 
After  the  ceremony  the  bride  and  bridegroom  followed  the 
churchmen  to  the  high  altar,  where  mass  was  celebrated. 
Standing  in  the  great  doorway  of  the  cathedral,  Prince 
Arthur  endowed  his  bride  with  one-third  of  his  property. 
The  princess  was  then  led  by  her  brother-in-law,  young 
Henry,  to  the  Bishop's  Palace  of  St.  Paul's,  where  a  ban- 
quet was  spread.     The  newly-wedded  couple  were  served 


1 50I .  Katharine  of  A  rragon.  351 

on  gold  plate,  ornamented  with  pearls  and  precious  stones, 
valued  at  twenty  thousand  pounds. 

The  following  week  a  grand  tournament  was  held  in  the 
open  space  in  front  of  Westminster  Hall.  There  was  a 
stage  erected  for  the  royal  party.  On  the  right  entered  the 
king  and  his  lords ;  on  the  left,  the  queen,  the  bride,  and 
their  ladies,  and  took  their  seats  on  richly  embroidered 
cushions,  under  a  canopy  draped  with  cloth  of  gold.  The 
places,  that  were  arranged  one  above  another,  in  rows  like 
those  in  a  circus,  to  form  an  enormous  circle,  were  so 
packed  with  people  that  only  their  heads  could  be  seen. 
Presently  loud  blasts  from  the  trumpets  announced  the 
arrival  of  the  knights,  who  were  borne  into  the  arena  under 
fanciful  canopies.  The  Earl  of  Essex  sat  in  a  pavilion 
among  trees,  flowers,  and  rocks,  with  curious-looking  ani- 
mals climbing  up  the  sides.  A  handsome  young  lady,  fan- 
tastically dressed,  stood  on  a  green  hill  above  the  earl. 
The  Marquis  of  Dorset  appeared  in  a  pavilion  all  draped 
in  gold,  wearing  a  complete  suit  of  armor.  Lord  William 
Courtenay  rode  an  enormous  red  dragon,  led  by  a  giant 
carrying  a  tree  in  his  hands.  There  were  twenty  or  thirty 
in  all  of  these  curiously-adorned  knights,  who  marched 
around  the  arena  to  the  delight  of  the  audience,  and  then 
engaged  in  a  tilt  that  caused  many  a  bruise  and  scratch, 
but  no  serious  damage  to  anybody. 

When  evening  came  on  the  royal  company  withdrew  to 
Westminster  Hall.  At  the  upper  end  was  a  dais  with 
elevated  seats  for  the  king,  queen,  the  bride  and  groom, 
and  the  king's  mother.  All  the  ladies  sat  on  the  left  side 
and  the  gentlemen  on  the  right,  and  the  nobility,  who  were 
not  engaged  in  the  performance  or  ballets  that  followed, 
took  their  places  on  the  king's  side  of  the  hall  according 
to  their  rank.  When  a  couple  desired  to  dance  between  the 
entrances  of  the  regular  performers,  the  gentleman  would 


352  The  Queens  of  England. 

advance  to  the  front  of  the  dais  from  his  side,  the  lady 
would  do  the  same  from  hers,  and  after  a  few  minutes' 
dancing  return  to  their  respective  places.  The  first  pageant 
was  a  full-rigged  ship  drawn  in  on  wheels.  The  mariners 
performed  their  duties  as  though  they  were  really  at  sea, 
and  used  only  seafaring  terms.  Next  came  a  castle  all 
lighted  up  inside,  eight  young  women  appearing  at  the 
windows  handsomely  attired  in  the  newest  styles.  At  the 
top  window  of  the  castle  sat  a  lady  in  Spanish  costume 
representing  Katharine  of  Arragon.  The  princess  must 
have  been  amused  when  she  saw  her  double,  who  sat  up 
quite  haughtily,  while  two  gentlemen  courted  her  and  sought 
in  every  possible  way  to  gain  her  favor.  For  a  while  she 
treated  their  attentions  with  disdain,  but  at  last,  as  in  all 
ballets,  matters  took  a  favorable  turn ;  the  ladies  came  out 
of  the  castle,  were  joined  by  the  sailors  from  the  ship,  and 
the  whole  party  danced  a  grand  set  of  exceedingly  pretty 
figures,  and  then  disappeared  into  the  castle  again.  This 
structure  was  drawn  by  marvellous  gold  and  silver  lions 
harnessed  with  massive  gold  chains.  But  we  must  explain 
what  these  beasts  really  were.  In  each  one  were  two  men, 
one  in  the  fore  and  the  other  in  the  hind  quarters,  so  com- 
pletely hidden  that  nothing  appeared  of  them  but  their  legs. 
whJrh  were  made  to  look  like  those  of  the  real  lions.  Then 
Prince  Arthur  danced  with  his  aunt,  the  Princess  Cicely, 
Henry,  Duke  of  York,  with  his  sister  Margaret,  and 
Katharine  with  one  of  her  Spanish  ladies.  There  wa» 
considerable  difference  in  the  two  styles  of  dancing,  for  the 
English  movements  were  quick  and  lively,  while  those  of 
the  Spanish  were  slow  and  stately,  resembling  a  minuet. 
The  king  and  queen  were  much  pleased  with  these  per- 
formances of  their  children,  and  watched  them  with  a 
great  deal  of  pride. 

At  a  grand  dinner  given  in  Parliament  Chamber  on  the 


• 


I50I. 


Katharine  of  Arragon. 


355 


following  Sunday,  Katharine  distributed  the  prizes  won  in 
the  tilt.  To  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  she  gave  a  valuable 
diamond  ;  to  the  Marquis  of  Dorset,  a  superb  ruby,  and  to 
the  others,  rings  set  with  precious  stones. 

A  week  later  the  court  went  to  Richmond,  where,  after 


RICHMOND   CHURCH. 

mass  on  the  first  Sunday,  they  all  assembled  in  the  gardens 
and  played  games  of  chess,  backgammon,  cards,  and  dice, 
while  some  Spaniards  entertained  them  with  tumbling  and 
dancing.  In  the  evening  a  huge  rock  was  drawn  by  three 
sea-horses  into  the  grand  hall,  where  the  ladies  and  gentle- 
men were  assembled.  On  either  side  of  the  rock  were  mer- 
maids made  of  shells,  and  inside  of  the  figures  were  the 


356  The  Qjieens  of  England. 

sweet-voiced  children  who  sang  in  the  king's  chapel.  These 
could  not  be  seen,  but  their  harmony  filled  the  air  as  the 
rock  was  drawn  slowly  through  the  whole  length  of  the  hall. 
When  it  reached  the  platform  on  which  sat  the  royal  family, 
a  large  number  of  white  doves  flew  out,  and  live  rabbits  ran 
about  the  hall,  causing  great  shouting  and  merriment. 
King  Henry  closed  the  entertainment  by  making  rich  gifts 
of  plate  to  the  lords  and  ladies  from  Spain,  who  then  took 
leave  of  their  princess,  as  they  were  going  back  home. 

Katharine  looked  very  sad  after  they  had  left  her,  and 
the  king  observing  this  sent  word  for  her  and  her  ladies  to 
join  him  in  his  library.  There  he  showed  them  all  the  pretty 
English  and  Latin  books  that  he  thought  would  please  them, 
laughed  and  chatted  in  a  kind  friendly  manner  with  his 
daughter-in-law,  and  then  asked  her  to  select  some  jewels 
from  a  lot  that  he  had  ordered  for  her.  After  she  had  made 
her  choice,  he  distributed  the  rest  among  her  ladies,  and  so 
won  Katharine's  heart  by  his  warm,  affectionate  treatment 
that  she  ceased  to  feel  depressed  in  her  English  home. 

A  few  months  later  the  princess  went  with  her  husband 
to  Wales,  where  they  were  to  have  a  little  court  of  their  own 
similar  to  the  one  at  Westminster.  Katharine  performed 
the  journey  on  horseback,  and  when  she  felt  fatigued  she 
rested  on  a  litter,  borne  between  two  horses.  This  was 
the  only  mode  of  travelling  before  turnpike  roads  were 
made. 

The  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  made  themselves  very 
popular  in  their  new  home,  but  they  did  not  stay  there  long, 
for  Arthur  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  died  of  the  plague 
the  following  April,  1502,  just  six  months  after  his  marriage. 

[A.D.  1502.]  The  queen  was  sorely  grieved  at  the  sud- 
den death  of  her  eldest  child,  but  she  did  not  forget  to 
sympathize  with  the  young  widow  left  alone  in  a  strange 
land,  the  language  of  which  had  hardly  become  familiar  to 


I502.  Katharine  of  Arragon.  357 

her  ear.  She  sent  for  her  immediately,  and  had  her  brought 
to  London  in  a  litter  covered  with  black  velvet  and  black 
cloth  that  must  have  looked  very  like  a  hearse,  and  settled 
her  in  a  palace  called  Arragon  House,  where  she  spent 
part  of  her  widowhood.  Her  marriage  portion  consisted 
of  two  hundred  thousand  crowns.  Half  the  sum  had  been 
paid,  and  her  parents  being  unwilling  to  pay  the  other  half, 
requested  that  their  daughter  should  be  returned  to  them. 
But  Henry  VII.  wanted  to  get  hold  of  the  other  half  of  his 
daughter-in-law's  portion,  he  therefore  proposed  a  marriage 
between  her  and  his  younger  son  Henry.  This  was  ac- 
cepted by  the  sovereigns  of  Spain,  providing  a  dispensation 
from  the  pope  could  be  obtained.  This  was  necessary  on 
account  of  the  relationship. 

Katharine  seems  to  have  been  very  unhappy  at  this  time, 
and  wrote  her  father  that  she  had  no  desire  to  marry  ag%in, 
adding,  "  that  she  did  not  wish  him  to  consider  her  tastes 
or  wishes,  but  to  act  in  all  things  as  suited  him  best." 

Such  dutiful  conduct  excites  our  surprise  when  we  con- 
sider that  she  was  the  principal  person  concerned.  It  seems 
quite  natural  that  at  the  age  of  eighteen  she  should  have 
objected  to  a  union  with  a  boy  five  years  younger,  even 
though  he  had  not  been  so  nearly  related  to  her. 

Notwithstanding  her  objections,  two  such  diplomatists  as 
King  Ferdinand  and  Henry  VII.  were  pretty  sure  to 
arrange  matters  to  suit  themselves,  and  about  a  year  after 
Katharine  became  a  widow,  she  was  betrothed  to  the  young 
prince.  Six  years  elapsed  before  the  marriage  was 
celebrated,  during  which  period  Henry  VII.  died,  and  his 
son  Henry  ascended  the  throne.  Immediately  after  this 
event  he  assured  the  Spanish  ambassador  of  his  attachment 
to  Katharine,  saying  that  he  loved  her  better  than  any  other 
woman  in  the  world. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  discussion  among  the  church- 


358  The  Queens  of  England. 

men  on  account  of  the  relationship  existing  between  Henry 
and  Katharine,  but  at  last  all  difficulties  were  overcome 
and  they  were  married.  A  few  days  later  the  coronation 
took  place  at  Westminster. 

[A.D.  15  lo.]  On  this  occasion  the  streets  of  London 
were  as  usual  all  decorated,  and  part  of  the  way  to  the 
abbey  was  lined  with  young  maidens  dressed  in  pure  white, 
bearing  palms  of  white  wax  in  their  hands.  They  were 
attended  by  priests  swinging  silver  censers  as  the  king  and 
queen  passed  by.  Katharine  was  attired  as  a  bride  in 
white  embroidered  satin-,  her  dark  hair  fell  in  rich  pro- 
fusion down  her  back,  and  on  her  head  she  wore  a  crown 
set  with  rich  jewels.  She  was  seated  in  a  litter  covered 
with  white  cloth  of  gold,  borne  by  two  white  horses,  and 
was  followed  by  all  the  noble  ladies  of  England  in  little 
ch^ots.  After  the  coronation  a  grand  banquet  was  spread 
in  Westminster  Hall.  The  king  and  queen  were  served  on 
an  elevated  platform  at  the  upper  end  of  the  hall,  while 
several  ladies  of  high  rank  sat  at  Katharine's  feet  holding 
her  pocket-handkerchief,  table-napkin,  fan  and  purse.  At 
the  end  of  a  week  the  festivities  came  suddenly  to  an  end 
on  account  of  the  death  of  the  king's  grandmother.  Then 
a  pestilence  broke  out  in  London,  and"  the  court  removed 
to  Richmond  Place,  where  Henry  planned  all  sorts  of  per- 
formances, parties  and  masquerades,  in  which  he  enjoyed 
taking  part.  Katharine  did  not  care  so  much  for  that  kind 
of  diversion,  for  she  was  naturally  quiet  and  studious,  and 
felt  more  interested  in  practical  employment. 

At  one  of  the  Christmas  festivals  the  king  slyly  left  her 
side  during  the  progress  of  a  tournament,  and  returned  in 
the  disguise  of  a  knight,  astonishing  all  the  company  with 
the  grace  and  skill  of  his  tilting.  The  applause  he  received 
induced  him  to  take  part  often  in  these  exercises,  and  when 
he  would  present  himself    before  his  wife  in  diiferent 


I5IO. 


Katharine  of  Arragon. 


359 


disguises  she  good-humoredly  pretended  to  be  very  much 
mystified.  Once  he  entered  her  room  with  several  nobles 
dressed  as  Robin  Hood  and  his  men,  and  another  time 
when  the  foreign  ambassadors  were  invited  to  dine  at  court 
Henry  conducted  his  wife  to  her  throne,  then  suddenly  dis- 
appeared, and  in   a  few  minutes  returned  with  the  Earl 


RICHMOND    PALACE. 


of  Essex,  both  disguised  as  Turks,  while  other  nobles 
followed  him  in  Russian,  Persian  and  Moorish  costumes, 
the  last  having  their  faces  blacked.  The  king's  beautiful 
sister,  Mary,  with  several  of  the  court  ladies,  danced  a  bal- 
let in  mask,  which  amused  Katharine  very  much,  particu- 
larly as  the  princess  was  attired  like  an  Ethiopian  queen. 
In  all  the  decorations  used  on  these  occasions  the  pome- 
granate was  mingled  with  the  roses  of  York  and  Lancaster, 
and  the  Tudor  device  of  the  hawthorn  with  its  scarlet 
berries. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1 510  the  queen  had  a  little  boy, 


360  The  Queens  of  England. 

and  he  was  named  Henr}'.  The  king  was  so  much  pleased 
at  this  event  that  a  grand  tournament  was  given  to  cele- 
brate it.  In  the  evening  a  nobleman  came  to  inform  the 
queen  that  there  was  a  gold  arbor  full  of  ladies  who 
had  prepared  something  for  her  entertainment.  Katharine 
answered  very  graciously  "that  both  she  and  her  ladies 
would  be  happy  to  behold  them  and  their  pastimes." 
Then  a  large  curtain  was  drawn  aside,  and  an  arbor  moved 
forward.  It  had  posts  and  pillars  covered  with  gold  and 
tvi'ined  with  branches  of  hawthorn,  roses  and  eglantine,  all 
made  of  satin  and  silk,  the  colors  of  the  different  flowers. 
In  the  arbor  were  six  beautiful  young  girls  in  white  and 
green  satin  dresses,  covered  with  the  letters  H.  and  K.  knit 
together  with  gold  lacing.  Near  the  bower  stood  the  king 
himself,  with  five  lords  dressed  in  purple  satin,  likewise 
covered  with  the  gold  letters  H.  and  K.  Then  they 
all  danced  before  Katharine,  and  while  they  were  thus 
engaged  a  very  different  scene  was  going  on  at  the  other 
end  of  the  hall.  The  golden  arbor  that  the  ladies  left 
for  the  dance  had  been  rolled  back  close  to  where  a  large 
crowd  of  Londoners  had  gathered  to  see  the  grand  doings 
at  court,  as  they  always  did  in  those  days.  They  began  to 
finger  the  ornaments,  and  finally  to  pluck  them  off  until 
they  had  entirely  stripped  the  bower.  The  chief  steward 
tried  to  prevent  this  destruction,  but  not  wishing  to  disturb 
the  ballet  by  using  violence  he  failed  entirely.  Meanwhile 
the  king  finished  his  performance,  and  feeling  in  an  excel- 
lent humor  at  its  success  he  called  to  the  women  in  the 
crowd  to  come  and  help  themselves  to  the  golden  letters 
from  his  dress  and  that  of  his  company.  Little  did  he  im- 
agine what  would  be  the  result  of  this  order,  for  scarcely 
was  it  given  than  the  whole  assembly  rushed  forward  like  a 
mob,  and  seized  not  only  on  him  but  all  his  guests,  helping 
themselves  to  every  glittering  ornament  that  was  in  sight. 


1514-  Katharine  of  Arragon.  361 

They  even  went  so  far  as  to  take  the  jewels  of  the  ladies, 
and  to  strip  the  king  of  most  of  his  fine  clothing.  One  of 
the  gentlemen  was  left  with  nothing  on  but  his  flannels.  It 
was  amazing  what  a  clean  sweep  was  made  in  a  few 
minutes  of  all  the  finery.  At  last  the  guards  succeeded  in 
clearing  the  hall  without  bloodshed,  and  the  king  laughing 
heartily  handed  his  wife  to  the  banquet  in  his  own  chamber, 
where  the  court  sat  down  in  their  tattered  condition,  treat- 
ing the  whole  scramble  as  a  frolic.  No  doubt  the  young 
king  had  received  a  lesson  by  which  he  profited  later. 
A  few  weeks  after  his  birth  the  young  prince  died,  much 
lamented  by  everybody  at  court. 

The  following  year  Henry  invaded  France  in  person, 
leaving  the  queen  not  only  with  the  reins  of  government 
in  her  own  hands,  but  making  her  besides  captain  of  all  his 
forces,  with  the  assistance  of  five  nobles.  During  the 
king's  absence  the  Scots  invaded  his  kingdom,  but  were  re- 
pulsed. It  is  remarkable  that  two  of  the  greatest  victories 
gained  over  that  nation  were  those  of  Neville's  Cross  and 
Flodden  Field,  both  fought  under  the  management  of 
queens  in  the  absence  of  their  husbands. 

After  the  battle  at  Neville's  Cross  Katharine  went  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  Walsingham  shrine,  and  returned  just  in  time 
to  welcome  her  husband,  who  took  her  by  surprise  at 
Richmond,  where  there  was  a  most  loving  meeting  between 
the  royal  couple.  He  had  travelled  through  his  realm  in 
disguise,  therefore  the  queen  had  not  been  informed  that 
he  was  coming  so  soon. 

[A.D.  15 14.]  Henry  had  been  victorious  in  France,  and 
the  war  ended  there  by  the  marriage  of  his  beautiful  young 
sister  Mary  and  Louis  XII.  Anne  Boleyn,  who  was  then 
a  young  girl,  went  with  the  bride  as  her  attendant. 

Mary  was  in  love  with  the  Duke  of  Suffolk  when  she  was 
forced  into  this  marriage  with  the  King  of  France.     In  less 


362  TJic  Queens  of  England. 

than  three  months  the  young  husband  died,  and  then  the 
duke,  who  was  sent  to  France  to  take  care  of  the  widow 
and  her  property,  married  her.  Henry  VIII.  was  very 
angry  at  first  at  the  sly  way  in  which  this  love-affair  had 
been  managed,  but  Katharine  made  peace  between  the 
brother  and  sister,  and  invited  the  young  couple  to  Green- 
wich Palace,  where  she  entertained  them  with  a  grand 
festival. 

On  the  first  of  May  the  king  gave  a  party,  which  was 
conducted  in  this  way :  Katharine,  with  the  young  bride 
and  all  the  court  ladies,  rode  from  the  palace  to  Shooter's 
Hill,  where  the  king,  with  the  archers  of  his  body-guard,  met 
them,  dressed  like  Robin  Hood  and  his  outlaws,  and  begged 
that  the  royal  party  "  would  enter  the  good  greenwood  and 
see  how  outlaws  lived." 

Katharine  graciously  consented,  and  was  led  to  a  rustic 
bower,  covered  with  hawthorn  boughs  and  spring  flowers, 
where  a  fine  breakfast  of  venison  and  other  good  things 
was  laid  out.  This  lodge  in  the  wilderness  delighted  all 
the  ladies,  and  a  couple  of  hours  were  very  pleasantly 
passed  in  eating  and  chatting.  On  their  return  to  Green- 
wich they  were  met  by  a  car,  all  decorated  with  natural 
flowers  and  ribbons,  and  drawn  by  five  horses.  Each  horse 
was  ridden  by  a  fair  damsel,  dressed  in  gay  colors,  and  in 
the  car,  amidst  garlands  of  flowers,  stood  lady  May, 
attended  by  the  goddess  Flora.  As  soon  as  the  queen 
appeared  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  these  young  girls  began  a 
hymn  about  the  return  of  spring,  and  preceded  the  royal 
party  all  the  way  home,  singing  as  they  moved  along. 

[A.D.  1520.]  Queen  Katharine  had  two  royal  visitors  at 
her  palace.  One  was  Queen  Margaret,  widow  of  James 
IV.  of  Scotland,  who  took  refuge  with  Henry  VIII.  from 
the  troubles  in  her  own  country ;  the  other  was  her  nephew, 
who  afterwards   became   so   illustrious  as  the    Emperor 


iSio.  Katharine  of  Arragon.  365 

Charles  V.  The  latter  spent  several  days  with  his  aunt, 
who  entertained  him  royally,  then  proceeded  with  the  Eng- 
lish Court  to  that  congress  with  the  King  and  Queen  of 
France  known  on  account  of  its  splendor  as  the  Field  of 
the  Cloth  of  Gold.  At  that  meeting  the  carpet  beneath 
Katharine's  throne  was  all  embroidered  in  pearls,  and  the 
decorations  of  the  camp  were  of  corresponding  magnifi- 
cence. 

At  that  time  Katharine  formed  a  warm  friendship  for 
Queen  Claude  of  France,  surnamed  the  Good,  a  lady  of 
superior  intellect  and  taste.  Henry  and  King  Francis  also 
became  very  much  attached  to  each  other,  though  that  did 
not  prevent  their  fighting  when  an  opportunity  offered. 

When  Charles  V.  parted  from  his  Aunt  Katharine  she 
presented  him  with  a  beautiful  English  horse,  and  a  saddle- 
cloth, of  gold  tissue,  bordered  with  precious  stones.  On 
his  return  home,  he  often  spoke  of  Katharine's  happiness 
in  having  married  so  grand  a  prince  as  Henry  VHI. 

While  Queen  Katharine  was  in  power  several  improve- 
ments were  made  in  England,  particularly  in  the  cultivation 
of  fruit  and  flowers.  During  the  wars  some  of  the  finest 
trees  had  disappeared  entirely,  but  Katharine  had  them 
replanted,  as  well  as  salad,  cabbage  and  carrots,  which  she 
imported  for  that  purpose  from  the  Holland. 

An  old  rhyme  says  :  — 

"  Hops  and  turkeys,  carps  and  beer, 
Came  to  England  all  in  one  year." 

We  cannot  help  wondering  why  hops  were  cultivated, 
because  Henry  VHI.,  who  interfered  in  all  the  most  trifling 
concerns  of  his  subjects,  forbade  them  to  put  hops  in  their 
ale.  The  turkeys  were  brought  from  North  America  by  a 
lieutenant  in  Sebastian  Cabot's  voyage  of  discovery. 

Before  giving  an  account  of  Katharine's  wrongs  and 


366  The  Queens  of  England. 

sufferings,  which  began  after  she  had  been  married  about 
ten  years,  let  us  see  how  both  she  and  King  Henry  VIII. 
are  described  by  people  who  lived  in  their  time, 

Sebastiano  Giustiniani,  an  Italian  who  lived  in  England, 
says,  writing  in  1519  :  — 

"  His  majesty  is  about  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  as  hand- 
some as  nature  could  form  him,  —  handsomer  by  far  than 
the  King  of  France.  He  is  exceedingly  fair,  and  as  well- 
proportioned  as  possible.  When  he  heard  that  the  King 
of  France  wore  a  beard  he  allowed  his  to  grow  also,  which, 
being  somewhat  red,  has  the  appearance  of  being  of  gold. 
He  is  an  excellent  musician  and  composer,  an  admirable 
horseman  and  wrestler.  He  possesses  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  French,  Latin,  and  Spanish  languages,  and  is  very 
devout.  On  the  days  when  he  goes  hunting  he  hears  mass 
three  times,  but  on  other  days  as  often  as  five  times.  He 
has  vesper  service  every  day  in  the  queen's  chamber.  He 
is  uncommonly  fond  of  the  chase,  and  every  time  he  attends 
one  he  tires  out  eight  or  ten  horses,  stationed  at  different 
places  where  he  proposes  to  stop.  When  one  is  fatigued 
he  mounts  another,  and  by  the  time  he  returns  home  they 
are  all  used  up.  He  takes  great  delight  in  bowling,  and  it 
is  the  pleasantest  sight  in  the  world  to  see  him  engaged  in 
this  exercise  with  his  fair  skin  covered  with  a  beautifully 
fine  shirt.  Affable  and  benign,  he  offends  none,  and  has 
often  said  to  his  ambassadors  that  he  wished  every  one  were 
as  content  with  his  condition  as  he  was." 

Katharine  was  then  about  thirty-four,  but  looked  no  older 
than  her  husband,  because  he  was  a  robust,  burly  man,  while 
she  had  a  slender,  stately  figure.  Her  face  was  oval,  fea- 
tures regular,  with  a  sweet,  calm  look,  though  rather  heavy. 
Her  forehead  was  unusually  high,  and  she  had  large,  dark 
eyes,  and  a  bright  brunette  complexion.  She  usually  wore 
a  five-cornered  cap,  bordered  with  rich  gems,  that  stood  up 


1520.  Katharine  of  Arragoft.  367 

around  her  head  like  a  crown,  and  came  down  the  sides 
of  her  face,  covering  the  ears.  From  this  cap  hung  the 
black  Spanish  mantilla,  and  around  her  throat,  waist  and 
wrists  were  clusters  of  rubies,  linked  together  with  strings 
of  pearls,  pendants  of  the  same  from  the  belt,  reaching 
almost  to  her  feet.  In  one  of  her  portraits  she  is  repre- 
sented in  a  robe  of  dark-blue  velvet,  with  a  long  train, 
bordered  with  sable  fur,  straight  sleeves,  with  ruffles 
around  the  hand,  loose  hanging  sleeves  over  them,  and  a 
petticoat  of  gold-colored  satin,  that  shows  beneath  the  vel- 
vet dress,  raised  on  one  side. 

Katharine  was  very  pious,  self-denying,  and  almost  a 
nun  in  her  performance  of  religious  duties.  She  would 
rise  at  different  times  of  the  night  for  prayers,  and  always 
dressed  for  the  day  at  five  o'^clock  in  the  morning.  She 
wore  the  habit  of  the  St.  Francis  order  of  nuns  beneath  her 
royal  robes,  and  unlike  the  ladies  of  the  present  day,  she 
was  often  heard  to  say  that  she  considered  no  part  of  her 
time  so  much  wasted  as  that  passed  in  dressing  and  adorn- 
ing herself. 

She  fasted  on  Fridays  and  Saturdays  and  on  all  the 
saints'  days,  confessed  every  week,  and  received  the 
Eucharist  every  Sunday.  For  two  hours  after  dinner  one 
of  her  attendants  read  books  on  religion  to  her. 

Notwithstanding  this  devotion  Katharine  enjoyed  lively 
conversation,  and  often  invited  Sir  Thomas  More,  whose 
society  gave  her  great  pleasure,  to  her  private  suppers  with 
the  king.  She  was  fond  of  needle-work  also,  and  left  some 
rich  specimens  of  her  skill,  that  were  for  a  long  time  pre- 
served in  the  Tower. 

Although  she  took  great  interest  in  all  English  customs, 
and  tried  to  make  her  subjects  forget  that  she  was  a  for- 
eigner, she  never  could  fancy  field-sports,  though  Henry 
expressed  great  displeasure  because  she  would  not  mount 


368 


The  Queens  of  England. 


a  horse  and  hunt  as  Englishwomen  did.  For  his  sake  she 
pretended  to  like  games,  though  she  really  had  little  taste 
in  that  direction.  Even  after  her  misfortunes  began,  the 
great  Erasmus  said  to  Henry :  "  Your  noble  wife  spends 
the  time  reading  the  sacred  volume  which  other  princesses 
occupy  with  cards  and  dice."  That  renowned  scholar 
always  held  her  up  as  an  example  to  her  sex,  and  dedicated 
a  very  important  work  to  her,  called  "  Christian  Matri- 
mony." 


HOUSE    OF    SIR    THOMAS    MORE. 


Cardinal  Wolsey  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  Eng- 
land at  this  time,  and  he  was  a  very  good  friend  to  Katharine 
until  she  felt  compelled  to  express  her  opinion  of  a  certain 
bad  action  of  his,  which  was  brought  about  in  this  way : 
One  day  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  was  holding  the  basin 
for  the  king  to  wash  his  hands  when  the  cardinal  poked 
his  in  also.  The  duke  became  very  indignant  at  such 
presumption,  for  he  considered  it  beneath  his  dignity  to 
perform  such  an  office  for  anybody  but  his  sovereign ;  he 
therefore  flung  the  water  all  over  the  cardinal's  feet,  where- 
upon that  worthy  prelate  scowled  revengefully,  and  angrily 


IS20.  Katharine  of  Arragon.  369 

threatened  punishment.  He  carried  it  into  effect,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  causing  the  execution  of  the  duke  on  a  charge 
of  treasonable  sorcery. 

Buckingham  had  been  one  of  Katharine's  earUest  friends 
in  England,  and  she  could  not  help  remonstrating  against 
the  injustice  of  his  sentence.  She  even  pleaded  for  him 
with  the  king,  but  failed.  Wolsey's  opposition  was  too 
strong,  so  Katharine  revenged  herself  by  openly  censuring 
his  cruel  conduct,  for  which  he  never  forgave  her. 

The  next  year  Charles  V.  visited  his  aunt  again  at  Green- 
wich Palace.  He  came  really  for  the  purpose  of  urging 
the  king  to  make  war  against  France,  though  he  pretended 
that  it  was  to  engage  himself  to  his  little  cousin,  Princess 
Mary,  then  only  six  years  old. 

Queen  Katharine  met  him  at  the  hall-door,  with  her 
daughter  by  her  side,  and  blessed  him  as  he  kneeled  down 
before  her.  He  stayed  in  England  six  weeks,  and  the 
result  of  his  visit  was  more  fighting  in  France. 

Then  Anne  Boleyn  returned  home,  and  was  appointed 
maid  of  honor  to  Queen  Katharine.  She  was  a  great 
beauty,  and  such  a  belle  at  court  that  unhappily  Henry  fell 
in  love  with  her.  But  he  did  not  make  his  feelings  known 
just  then  because  the  queen's  health  was  very  bad,  and  no 
doubt  he  flattered  himself  that  she  might  accommodate 
him  by  dying,  and  thus  spare  him  the  trouble  of  a  divorce. 
However  she  grew  better,  and  then,  with  Wolsey's  assist- 
ance, Henry  began  to  make  plans  for  ridding  himself  of 
her.  His  first  step  was  to  complain  to  his  confessor  that 
his  conscience  troubled  him  for  having  married  his  brother's 
widow,  but  it  seems  strange  that  that  inward  monitor  had 
been  silent  for  so  many  years.  He  set  spies  to  watch 
Katharine's  actions,  hoping,  no  doubt,  that  something  might 
be  discovered  to  help  his  cause ;  but  he  was  disappointed, 
and  the  queen  was   secretly  informed  of  his  intentions. 


3  TO  The  Queens  of  England. 

Naturally  she  was  very  indignant,  and  wanted  to  consult 
her  nephew,  Charles  V.,  as  to  what  she  ought  to  do.  For 
that  purpose  she  sent  a  faithful  servant,  but  he  was  stopped 
on  the  way  by  one  of  Wolsey's  agents. 

She  then  expressed  her  intention  of  going  to  law  about 
the  matter,  and  consulted  her  confessor,  hoping  that  it 
would  be  laid  before  the  church.  The  poor,  friendless 
woman  might  have  known  that  she  could  scarcely  look  for 
justice  in  a  land  not  her  own  against  a  popular  sovereign 
and  his  all-powerful  adviser.  She  had  an  interview  with 
her  husband,  but  he  put  her  off  with  deceitful  excuses  and 
fah-  promises,  and  she  was  forced  to  await  patiently  what- 
ever his  pleasure  might  prompt. 

In  the  meantime  a  pestilence  broke  out  in  London,  and 
several  of  the  royal  household  died  of  it.  This  so  alarmed 
Henry  that  he  made  thirty-nine  wills,  confessed  his  sins 
every  day,  and  passed  most  of  his  time  in  penitence  and 
prayer,  his  only  recreation  being  the  mixing  of  medicines 
and  the  compounding  of  plasters  and  ointments.  He  even 
sent  Anne  Boleyn  home  to  her  relations.  But  no  sooner 
did  the  pestilence  disappear  than  his  jovial  spirits  returned, 
and  he  began  to  write  daily  love-letters  to  his  favorite. 
Wolsey,  to  aid  the  king's  divorce,  had  made  the  pope 
believe  that  Katharine  wished  to  retire  from  the  world  and 
lead  a  religious  life,  and  it  is  possible  that  he  thought  she 
might  be  persuaded  to  do  so. 

[A.D.  1528.]  She  did  not  know  of  this  deception  until 
Campeggio,  the  pope's  legate,  arrived  in  England  in  1528. 
Then,  in  order  to  disprove  it,  she  adopted  a  different  course 
of  conduct,  became  gay  and  lively,  and  encouraged  all 
sorts  of  diversions  among  her  court  ladies.  She  tried  to 
make  herself  popular  with  her  subjects,  too,  by  being  more 
gracious  than  before,  and  appearing  oftener  in  public. 
This  behavior  was  turned  against  her  by  the  king's  council. 


1528.  Katharine  of  Arragon.  37 1 

who  were  told  that  the  queen  was  only  gay  because  her 
husband  was  sad,  and  that  she  was  conspiring  for  his  death 
and  that  of  his  cardinal.  Thereupon  they  advised  Henry 
to  separate  himself  from  her  entirely,  and  to  remove  the 
Princess  Mary  from  her  guardianship.  This  piece  of 
malice  was  a  sting  bitterer  than  death. 

Katharine  knew  that  Wolsey  was  her  chief  persecutor, 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  charge  him  with  all  her  troubles  as 
well  as  with  being  an  enemy  to  her  nephew,  Charles  V. 

That  emperor  was  very  much  distressed  when  he  heard 
of  the  turn  affairs  had  taken,  and  declared  that  if  the  pope 
decided  against  his  aunt  he  would  not  complain,  but  if  not, 
he  would  support  her  and  her  daughter  as  far  as  possible. 

In  May,  1 5 29,  there  was  a  solemn  court  held  in  the  great 
hall  of  the  palace  at  Blackfriars,  Wolsey  and  Campeggio 
presiding.  Each  of  the  prelates  was  seated  in  a  large 
chair,  covered  with  rich  tapestry,  near  a  long  table.  On 
the  right  was  a  canopy  with  a  massive  chair  for  the  king, 
and  on  the  left  a  similar  one  for  the  queen.  Henry  did 
not  appear  at  first,  but  Katharine  entered  the  hall,  attended 
by  four  bishops  and  a  train  of  court  ladies,  to  say  that  she 
would  only  accept  the  decision  of  the  pope,  because  the 
cardinals  who  were  present  were  too  prejudiced  to  be  just. 
She  then  left. 

After  several  weeks  of  discussion  the  king  and  queen 
were  both  summoned  to  appear  in  court.  When  the 
crier  called  :  "  Henry,  King  of  England,  come  into  court," 
he  answered  distinctly,  and  standing  up  beneath  his 
canopy,  spoke  of  the  virtues  of  his  wife  and  of  his 
unwillingness  to  part  from  her,  excepting  to  soothe  the 
pangs  of  his  conscience.  Then  Katharine  was  called. 
She  was  already  present,  seated  in  her  chair,  and  merely 
rose  to  explain  that  the  action  of  the  court  was  illegal, 
stating  reasons  why  such  was  the  case. 


3/2  The  Queens  of  England. 

Her  name  was  called  again.  Then  she  rose  a  second 
time,  and  walked  around  the  table  the  whole  length  of  the 
court,  until  she  came  to  where  the  king  sat.  Kneeling 
down  before  him,  she  made  a  most  touching  appeal, 
begging  him  to  take  compassion  on  her,  a  stranger  in  his 
land,  and  let  her  have  some  justice.  She  also  requested 
him  to  suspend  the  trial  until  she  could  hear  from  her 
family  in  Spain  and  get  their  advice. 

After  she  had  finished  her  long  address  to  the  king,  she 
made  a  low  bow,  and  with  a  dignified  air  slowly  marched 
out  of  court.  As  she  moved  away,  her  name  was  called 
several  times,  whereupon  the  person  on  whose  arm  she 
leaned  said :  "  Madam,  you  are  called  back."  "  I  hear  it 
well  enough,"  she  replied;  "but  on  —  on  —  go  you  on,  for 
this  is  no  court  wherein  I  can  have  justice." 

Her  appeal  to  the  king  had  made  such  an  impression  on 
all  present  that  he  made  a  long  speech,  lamenting  "  that 
his  conscience  should  urge  the  divorce  of  such  a  queen 
who  had  ever  been  a  devoted  wife,  full  of  gentleness  and 
virtue."  The  members  of  his  council  knew  well  that  he 
was  not  speaking  the  truth,  but  they  did  not  dare  to  tell 
him  so.  As  Cardinal  Wolsey  was  still  a  favorite,  the  king 
closed  his  harangue  by  an  assurance  that  he  was  in  no  way 
to  blame  for  the  desired  divorce. 

A  week  later  Katharine  was  summoned  to  court  again, 
but  refused  to  obey,  and  with  her  own  hand  wrote  an 
appeal  to  the  pope.  The  cardinals  had  done  all  they 
could  think  of  to  get  the  queen  to  consent  to  a  divorce, 
and  being  at  a  loss  how  to  proceed,  they  took  a  v-acation 
of  three  months.  At  the  expiration  of  that  term  the  two 
cardinals  went  to  Bridewell,  and  requested  a  private 
interview  with  Katharine.  She  received  them  courteously, 
impressed  upon  them  her  forlorn  situation  in  a  foreign  land, 
deprived  of  counsel,  and  told  them   that  she  would   be 


1538. 


Katharine  of  Arragon. 


373 


grateful  if  they  would  advise  her  how  to  act.  She  then 
withdrew  with  them  to  a  private  room,  where  they  remained 
for  nearly  an  hour  in  earnest  conversation.  She  must  have 
argued  her  case  well,  for  both  the  cardinals  were  won  over 
to  her  side,  and  would  never  say  another  word  against  her. 
This  was  the  only  cause  for  offence  that  King  Henry  ever 
had  against  Wolsey,  who  ceased,  from  that  moment,  to  be 
his  favorite. 


wolsey's  tower. 

When  the  court  met  again,  the  king  was  very  angry  to 
hear  that  the  question  of  his  divorce  must  be  referred  to 
the  pope.  He  wanted  it  settled  in  his  way  and  in  England. 
Shortly  after,  Wolsey  had  an  interview  with  the  king, 
which  proved  his  last. 

The  king  and  queen  passed  Christmas  together  at 
Greenwich  with  the  usual  festivities,  and  seemed  to  be  on 
very  good  terms,  he  treating  the  Princess  Mary  very  tenderly, 
and  showing  Katharine  the  respect  due  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. 

Henry  had  an  object  in  this ;  he  wanted  his  wife  to  with- 
draw her  appeal  from  Rome,  and  let  the  matter  be  decided 


374  ^'^^  Queens  of  England. 

in  England,  but  she  refused.  Then  he  got  angry,  put  a 
sudden  stop  to  the  court  diversions,  and  retired  to  the 
palace  at  Whitehall  that  he  had  just  taken  from  Wolsey. 

Later,  he  sent  a  message  to  the  queen  entreating  her  to 
"  quiet  his  conscience."  She  replied  :  "  God  grant  my 
husband  a  quiet  conscience  ;  but  I  mean  to  abide  by  no 
decision  excepting  that  of  Rome." 

This  answer  put  the  king  in  a  perfect  fury.  After  the 
festival  of  Trinity  he  accompanied  the  queen  to  Windsor, 
but  left  in  a  few  days,  and  sent  her  word  to  be  out  of  the 
castle  before  his  return.  "  Go  where  I  may,"  was  the 
reply  of  the  forsaken  queen,  "  I  am  his  wife,  and  for  him  I 
will  pray ! "  She  immediately  left  Windsor  Castle,  and 
never  again  beheld  her  husband  or  child.  She  went  to 
reside  at  Ampthill,  whence  she  wrote  her  daughter  letters 
full  of  most  excellent  advice,  always  praying  her  to  submit 
to  her  father's  will.  Her  reason  for  this  was  that  she 
wished  the  child  to  keep  in  the  king's  good  graces,  knowing 
that  he  would  some  time  or  other  acknowledge  her  rights. 
Once,  on  hearing  of  Mary's  illness,  Katharine  wrote  to 
Cromwell  for  permission  to  see  her,  but  was  cruelly 
refused. 

Finding  at  last  that  the  decision  at  Rome  was  likely  to 
be  against  him,  the  king  induced  Dr.  Cranmer,  who  had 
just  been  made  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  to  conclude  the 
long  agitated  question  of  the  divorce  by  granting  it.  At 
the  commencement  of  the  following  year  he  married  Anne 
Boleyn,  and  there  were  insurrections  raised  in  many  parts 
of  the  kingdom  on  account  of  it. 

Had  Queen  Katharine  not  been  such  a  good  woman  she 
might  have  given  the  king  a  great  deal  of  trouble  by  head- 
ing a  party  against  him,  particularly  as  the  House  of  Com- 
mons had  requested  him  to  take  her  back.  At  the  end  of 
several  months  Cranmer  succeeded  in  getting  the  divorce 


1538.  Katharine  of  Arragon.  375 

settled ;  but  the  sorrow  and  anxiety  that  poor  Katharine 
had  suffered  had~broken  down  her  health,  so  that  when 
Lord  Montjoy  went  to  inform  her  that  she  was  no  longer 
Queen  of  England,  but  dowager  Princess  of  Wales,  he 
found  her  very  ill  in  bed.  She  declared  that  she  had  been 
crowned  and  anointed  queen,  and  would  be  called  by  that 
title  as  long  as  she  lived,  and  no  bribes  or  threats  would 
move  her  in  the  least.  She  forbade  her  servants  to  take 
an  oath  to  serve  her  as  Princess  of  Wales,  and  many  of 
them  were  obliged  to  quit  her  service  because  they  would 
not  disobey  her.  Those  who  remained  were  excused  from 
taking  the  oath  at  all. 

Katharine  always  judged  her  rival  in  the  most  charitable 
light,  and  seemed  to  think  her  an  object  of  pity.  Once 
when  one  of  her  women  cursed  Anne  Boleyn,  because  she 
saw  how  troubled  her  mistress  was,  Katharine  said  :  "  Hold 
your  peace !  curse  her  not,  but  rather  pray  for  her,  for  even 
now  is  the  time  fast  coming  when  you  shall  have  reason  to 
pity  her  and  lament  her  case." 

Katharine  had  removed  to  Buckden,  where  she  passed 
her  time  in  praying  and  deeds  of  charity,  or  embroidering 
for  the  churches.  After  a  while  she  regained  her  peace  of 
mind,  and  made  herself  greatly  beloved  by  the  country 
people,  who  visited  her  frequently,  and  showed  her  the 
deepest  respect.  Other  messengers  were  sent  to  her  from 
Henr}',  requesting  her  to  call  herself  Prince  Arthur's 
widow,  and  to  resign  the  title  of  queen.  This  made  her 
very  angry,  and  she  declared  that  she  was  the  king's  wife, 
not  his  subject,  and  would  be  called  queen  until  she  died. 
She  was  the  only  person  in  the  realm  who  dared  to  defy 
the  king;  she  had  lost  his  love,  but  not  his  esteem.  Any- 
body at  court  who  was  known  to  speak  in  Katharine's 
favor  was  either  locked  up  in  the  Tower  or  executed,  and  a 
perfect  reign  of  terror  was  the  result.     When  she  heard 


3/6  The  Queens  of  England. 

how  her  friends  had  suffered  on  her  account  her  health 
grew  worse,  and  as  she  was  anxious  to  live  for  the  sake  oi 
her  daughter  she  sent  a  request  to  the  king  to  appoint  her 
a  residence  nearer  London.  He  named  Fotheringay 
Castle,  a  place  that  was  notoriously  unhealthy.  But  Kath. 
arine  absolutely  refused  to  go  there,  and  after  a  great  deal 
of  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  king's  agents  she  was 
removed  to  Kimbolton  Castle,  deprived  of  many  comforts 
that  her  ill-health  made  necessary  for  her.  One  serious 
cause  of  distress  to  Katharine  was  the  imprisonment  of  her 
two  confessors,  who,  simply  because  they  took  sides  with 
her,  were  subjected  to  the  most  cruel  torments. 

[A.D.  1536.]  By  the  end  of  the  year  the  queen  was  on 
her  death-bed.  When  she  knew  her  end  was  approaching 
she  sent  an  entreaty  to  Henry  that  she  might  be  permitted 
to  see  her  child  and  give  her  a  blessing.  It  was  refused. 
A  few  days  before  she  expired  Katharine  called  one  of  her 
maids  to  her  bedside  and,  dictated  a  farewell  letter  to  the 
king,  in  which  she  pardons  him  for  all  the  misery  he 
has  caused  her,  and  prays  that  God  may  also  pardon  him. 
She  commends  their  daughter  Mary  to  his  care,  and  begs 
him  to  be  a  good  father  to  her.  And  in  conclusion  she  re- 
quests marriage  portions  for  her  three  maids,  and  a  year's 
extra  pay  for  all  her  other  servants  lest  they  should  be  un' 
provided  for.  Henry  shed  tears  on  reading  the  letter,  and 
sent  Eustachio,  the  Spanish  ambassador,  to  attend  Katha- 
rine's death-bed.  He  and  Lady  Willoughby,  the  friend  and 
countrywoman  of  the  queen,  who  hastened  to  her  at  the 
last,  were  the  only  persons  present  when  she  passed  away. 
In  her  will  she  left  a  few  legacies,  but  her  income  had  been 
so  cut  down  during  the  last  few  years  of  her  existence  that 
she  had  not  much  to  dispose  of.  She  mentions  her  dresses 
that  Henry  kept  when  she  was  so  brutally  turned  away 
from  his  palace,  and  begs  that  they  be  used  for  church 


1536.  Katharine  of  Arragon.  377 

ornaments.  She  was  buried  at  Peterborough  Abbey,  and 
for  several  years  a  canopy  covered  with  a  black  velvet 
cloth,  on  which  was  embroidered  a  large  silver  cross  and 
the  Spanish  coat-of-arms,  stood  over  the  grave. 

Henry  had  a  solemn  service  at  Greenwich  on  the  day  of 
Katharine's  burial,  at  which  he  appeared  with  his  attend- 
ants in  deep  mourning,  and  commanded  all  his  court  to  do 
the  same.  Anne  Boleyn  dressed  herself  and  all  her  ladies 
in  yellow  instead,  and  heartlessly  laughed  over  the  death 
of  the  queen.  "I  am  grieved,"  she  said,  "not  because 
she  is  dead,  but  for  the  vaunting  of  the  good  end  she 
made."  She  had  reason  to  speak  so,  for  nothing  was 
talked  of  but  the  Christian  death-bed  of  Katharine,  and 
many  books  and  papers  were  written  in  her  praise. 

A  short  time  after  her  burial  some  of  her  friends  ventured 
to  suggest  to  the  king  that  a  monument  ought  to  be  erected 
to  her  memory.  He  answered :  "  That  he  would  have  to 
her  memory  one  of  the  goodliest  monuments  in  Christen- 
dom." This  was  the  beautiful  abbey  church  of  Peter- 
borough, for  when  Henry  VIII.  caused  the  destruction  of 
all  the  convents  and  monasteries  in  England  he  spared  that 
one  because  it  contained  Queen  Katharine's  remains. 
Through  all  her  bitter  trials  no  enemy  was  successful  in 
tarnishing  Katharine  of  Arragon's  good  name,  but  Shak- 
speare  is  the  only  writer  who  has  properly  appreciated  her 
moral  worth. 


BEHEADING     BLOCK    AND    AXE. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ANNE    BOLEYN,   SECOND    QUEEN    OF    HENRY   VIII. 
(A.D.    1501-1536.) 

Anne  Boleyn  was  one  of  the  beauties  of  the  court  of 
Katharine  of  Arragon,  and  was  particularly  attractive  to 
the  king  on  account  of  her  wit  and  her  fondness  for  pa- 
geants and  masquerades,  in  which  she  took  a  leading  part. 
Henry  performed  at  these  entertainments,  also ;  thus  these 
two  were  often  thrown  together,  and  the  lady's  vanity  and 
ambition  were  flattered  by  the  attentions  he  paid  her. 

She  was  an  Englishwoman  by  birth,  though  of  French 
descent  on  her  father's  side.  Her  mother  died  when  she 
was  only  eleven  years  old,  and  she  was  taken  charge  of  by 
a  French  governess  called  Simonette.  She  was  carefully 
educated,  and  excelled  in  music  and  needlework.  Besides, 
she  wrote  both  French  and  English  letters  to  her  father 
when  he  was  away,  and  that  was  an  accomplishment  very 
rare  among  ladies  of  the  reign  of  Henry  VHI. 

[A.  D.  15 14.]  It  was  probably  on  account  of  her  superior 
knowledge  that  she  was  selected  to  go  with  the  young 
Princess  Mary  to  France  when  she  married  Louis  XII.,  and 
her  knowledge  of  the  language  must  have  been  of  great  ser- 
vice to  the  young  girl,  who  could  speak  only  English.  They 
had  a  very  stormy  voyage  to  Boulogne,  and  had  to  go  ashore 
in  little  boats  at  the  risk  of  their  lives.  It  was  rather  trying 
to  the  Princess  Mary  and  her  four  maids  of  honor  to  have 
to  appear  in  their  drenched  garments  before  all  the  French 
nobles  who  had  assembled  on  the  beach  to  receive  them. 


ANNK   BOLEYN. 


1 5 14-  Katharine  of  Arragon.  381 

But  they  soon  had  a  chance  of  showing  off  their  beauty  to 
advantage,  for  when  within  four  miles  of  Abbeville  they 
mounted  white  horses,  and  with  thirty  other  ladies  who 
joined  the  procession,  rode  into  the  town.  Mary  wore  a 
superb  embroidered  robe,  and  her  ladies'  dresses  were  of 
crimson  velvet,  which  must  have  been  particularly  becoming 
to  the  warm,  brunette  complexion  and  sparkling  black  eyes 
of  Anne  Boleyn. 

When  the  King  of  France  died,  and  Mary  went  back  to 
England,  Anne  did  not  accompany  her,  but  entered  the 
service  of  Queen  Claude,  wife  of  Francis  I. 

This  queen  was  a  most  excellent  woman,  and  exercised 
a  wholesome  influence  over  her  maids  of  honor.  They  went 
regularly  with  her  to  mass,  attended  her  when  she  appeared 
in  public,  and  spent  part  of  every  day  in  her  society  reading, 
embroidering,  and  weaving.  The  strict  rules  of  this  sober- 
minded  queen  were  rather  irksome  to  the  lively  English 
maid  of  honor,  for  she  was  fond  of  all  sorts  of  games, 
music,  and  dancing,  and  is  said  to  have  invented  many  new 
figures  and  steps  which  she  performed  with  much  grace 
and  agility.  Another  of  her  gifts  was  a  remarkably  sweet 
voice,  both  in  singing  and  speaking.  While  at  the  French 
court  her  costume  was  a  cap  of  velvet,  trimmed  in  points, 
a  little  gold  bell  hanging  from  each  point;  a  vest  of  the 
same  material  with  silver  stars,  a  jacket  of  watered  silk  with 
large  hanging  sleeves  that  almost  concealed  her  hands,  and 
a  skirt  to  match.  Her  feet  were  encased  in  blue  velvet 
slippers,  with  a  strap  across  the  instep,  fastened  with  a  dia- 
mond star.  Her  hair  fell  in  ringlets  about  her  shoulders. 
Of  course  she  dressed  in  this  manner  only  when  she  was  very 
young ;  later,  when  she  lived  in  England,  her  costumes  were 
very  different.  She  had  one  serious  defect  which,  however, 
she  managed  to  conceal  with  her  long  sleeves.  It  was  a 
deformity  of  the  little  finger  of  the  left  hand  which  some 
chroniclers  say  was  divided  and  formed  two  fingers. 


382  The  Queens  of  England. 

[A.D.  1522.]  She  was  about  twenty  years  old  when 
she  returned  to  England  and  attached  herself  to  the  house- 
hold of  Katharine. 

The  maids  of  honor  dined  at  mess  in  those  days  like 
officers  of  the  army  or  navy  of  the  present  time,  and  were 
plentifully  served  with  all  the  good  food  the  markets 
afforded,  besides  an  ample  supply  of  ale  and  wine.  Each 
maid  of  honor  was  allowed  a  servant  and  a  spaniel,  and 
those  who  were  daughters  of  peers  could  have  stabling  for 
horses  and  carriages  besides. 

There  was  a  young  man  at  court  named  Lord  Henry 
Percy,  the  eldest  son  of  the  Duke  of  Northumberland, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  attend  Cardinal  Wolsey  to  the  palace 
daily ;  but  while  that  prelate  held  council  with  the  king, 
Lord  Henry  would  pass  the  time  with  the  court  ladies. 
The  result  of  these  visits  was  a  love  affair  between  him 
and  the  fair  Anne  Boleyn.  But  the  king  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  marry  the  young  maid  of  honor  himself  as  soon  as 
he  could  get  a  divorce  from  his  wife,  consequently  he  com- 
plained to  the  cardinal,  and  told  him  that  he  must  break 
off  the  match  at  once,  because  he  had  planned  a  marriage 
for  Anne  with  another  person.  The  cardinal  sent  for  Percy 
and  took  him  to  task  for  thinking  to  unite  himself  to  any- 
body without  first  consulting  his  father  and  the  king.  The 
young  man  expressed  his  regret  at  having  displeased  the 
king,  but  declared  that  he  could  not  give  up  his  lady-love. 
Thereupon  Wolsey  swore  that  he  should  be  forced  to  do  so, 
adding :  "  I  will  send  for  your  father  out  of  the  North,  and 
he  and  we  shall  take  this  matter  in  hand ;  in  the  meantime 
I  charge  thee  to  go  no  more  into  her  company  to  arouse 
the  king's  indignation."  With  these  words  he  arose  and 
went  into  his  own  room. 

In  answer  to  the  king's  summons  the  Earl  of  Northum- 
berland did  appear  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.    He  was 


1522.  Anne  Boleyn.  383 

an  extremely  proud,  cold,  narrow-minded  man,  who  wanted 
his  son  to  marry  a  womaai  at  least  his  equal  in  rank  and 
wealth ;  therefore  at  the  conclusion  of  his  secret  interview 
with  the  cardinal  he  rated  Percy  soundly,  and  applied  to 
him  the  most  abusive  and  insulting  names  he  could  think 
of.  He  finished  his  long  lecture  by  telling  him  that  he 
did  not  mean  to  make  him  his  heir,  because  he  had  other 
boys  who,  he  trusted,  would  prove  wiser  men,  and  he 
would  choose  one  of  them  for  his  successor. 

Percy  was  then  banished  from  court,  and  forced  to 
marry  Mary  Talbot,  a  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury, 
with  whom  he  was  very  unhappy.  If  only  he  had  been 
strong  enough  to  hold  out  in  his  love  for  Anne  a  little 
while  longer  he  might  have  been  spared  a  great  deal  of 
misery,  for  his  father  died  in  less  than  three  years  after 
his  forced  marriage,  and  he  became  Earl  of  Northumber- 
land. 

To  punish  Anne  for  loving  Percy,  the  king  banished 
her  from  court  and  sent  her  home  to  her  father's  house. 
She  laid  the  whole  blame  on  Wolsey,  and  was  so  angry 
with  him  as  to  declare  she  would  be  revenged  on  him. 
He  could  never  gain  favor  with  her  after  that.  She  lived 
at  Hever  Castle,  with  her  father  and  stepmother,  and  was 
very  unhappy  on  account  of  the  great  disappointment  she 
had  suffered. 

After  a  time  the  king  made  an  unexpected  visit  at  the 
castle,  but  Anne  pretended  to  be  ill,  and  would  not  leave 
her  room  all  the  time  he  was  there.  But  the  tyrant  was 
bound  to  have  everything  to  suit  himself,  so  he  began  to 
draw  her  family  to  court  by  giving  them  important  offices, 
and  advanced  her  father  to  the  peerage  under  the  title  of 
Viscount  Rochford.  Still  Anne  did  not  return,  and  the 
king  wrote  her  several  letters  urging  her  to  do  so.  She 
dared  not  show  him  how  angry  she  was  because  he  had 


384  The  Queens  of  England. 

broken  off  her  engagement  with  Percy,  but  she  was  treas- 
uring up  a  store  of  vengeance  against  the  cardinal,  who 
had  been  his  tool,  that  she  hoped  some  day  to  visit  upon 
his  head.  She  had  been  away  from  court  just  four  years 
when  she  returned,  and  Wolsey's  enemies  were  glad  to 
be  able  to  count  on  her  influence  to  crush  him. 

A  short  time  after  he  was  sent  on  an  embassy  to  France, 
and  it  was  during  his  absence  that  Anne  gained  a  great 
deal  of  influence  over  the  king.  Ambition  had  entered 
her  head,  and  seeing  that  Henry  admired  her,  she  deter- 
mined to  share  his  throne  as  soon  as  his  wife  could  be 
got  out  of  the  way.  He  had  asked  her  to  marry  him, 
and  only  awaited  the  settlement  of  the  divorce,  which  was 
a  long  and  tedious  affair. 

Anne  Boleyn  was  soon  living  in  Suffolk  House,  which 
the  king  had  secured  for  her,  and  there  she  had  a  regular 
court  of  her  own,  with  her  ladies-in-waiting,  her  train-bearer, 
and  her  chaplains,  quite  independent  of  the  queen. 

The  first  introduction  of  Tindal's  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  was  made  w^iile  Anne  was  so  powerful.  Among 
her  ladies  was  one  called  Mistress  Gaynsford,  who  had  a 
lover,  also  employed  at  Suffolk  House,  named  George  Zouch. 
One  day  the  young  lady  was  deeply  interested  in  a  book, 
from  which  she  would  not  raise  her  eyes,  even  to  speak  to 
George,  who  tried  several  times  to  make  her  listen  to  him, 
At  last  he  became  very  angry  and  snatched  the  book  out  of 
her  hand.  It  proved  to  be  the  translation  of  Tindal,  that 
had  been  privately  presented  by  one  of  the  Reformers  to 
Anne  Boleyn.  Now,  this  work  had  been  proscribed  by 
Cardinal  Wolsey,  who  was  not  in  favor  of  any  reforms  in 
religion,  and  kept  secret  from  the  king.  Mistress  Gayns- 
ford knew  this  perfectly  well,  and  was  so  frightened  at 
being  discovered  with  it  that  she  begged  and  implored 
her  lover  to  return  it  to  her,  but  merely  to  tease  her, 


1522.  Anne  Boleyn.  387 

he  ran  off  with  it.  The  next  time  he  went  to  the 
King's  chapel,  with  the  other  courtiers,  he  took  it  into  his 
head  to  read  the  identical  book  he  had  taken  from  his  lady- 
love, and  became  so  absorbed  in  it  that  the  service  was 
concluded  without  his  knowing  it.  The  dean  of  the  chapel 
wondered  what  George  could  be  reading  with  so  much 
interest,  and  asked  to  have  a  look  at  the  volume.  As  soon 
as  he  saw  what  it  was  he  carried  it  to  Cardinal  Wolsey. 
Meantime,  Anne  had  asked  for  it,  and  when  she  heard  into 
whose  hands  it  had  fallen,  she  said :  "  Well,  it  shall  be  the 
dearest  book  that  ever  dean  or  cardinal  detained."  Then 
she  went  to  the  king,  and  not  only  succeeded  in  persuading 
him  to  get  the  book  back  for  her,  but  made  him  read  it. 

This  beautiful  favorite  continued  to  hate  Cardinal  Wol- 
sey more  and  more,  and  was  determined  that  Henry  should 
show  him  no  favors  if  she  could  help  it.  Her  mind  was 
constantly  busy  laying  plans  to  keep  them  apart,  and  to  put 
the  cardinal  in  an  unfavorable  light,  though  she  used  the 
most  flattering  terms  both  in  speaking  and  writing  to  him. 
This  deception  she  continued  until  he  was  won  over  to 
Queen  Katharine's  cause,  when  she  declared  her  hostility 
openly,  and  she  was  a  woman  who  would  stop  at  nothing 
that  would  gratify  her  thirst  for  revenge.  She  was  con- 
stantly poisoning  the  king's  mind  against  him,  yet  the  old 
friendship  would  crop  out  from  time  to  time,  and  when  the 
cardinal  was  seized  with  the  pestilence  Dr.  Butts,  the  king's 
physician,  was  sent  to  attend  him. 

"  Have  you  seen  yonder  man  ?  "  asked  King  Henry  of 
the  doctor.  "Yes,"  was  the  reply;  "and  if  you  will  have 
him  dead,  I  warrant  you  that  if  he  receive  not  some  com- 
fort from  you  he  will  be  dead  within  four  days." 

"  God  forbid !"  cried  the  king,  "  I  would  not  lose  him 
for  twenty  thousand  pounds.  I  pray  you  go  to  him,  and 
do  you  care  for  him." 


388 


The  Queens  of  England. 


"Then  must  your  grace  send  him  some  comfortable 
message,"  said  Dr.  Butts. 

"  Tell  him  that  I  am  not  offended  with  him  in  my  heart 
for  anything,  and  bid  him  be  of  good  comfort,"  returned 
the  king,  handing  the  doctor  a  ruby  ring  with  his  own 
image  carved  thereon,  and  requesting  him  to  carry  it  to  the 
patient.     He  desired  Anne  Boleyn  to  send  some  token  of 


WHITEHALL,   WOLSEY'S   PALACE,   WHERE   HENRY   VIII.   FIRST   MET 
ANNE   BOLEYN. 

regard  also,  and  she  handed  the  doctor  a  gold  tablet  that 
hung  at  her  side,  adding  a  loving  message,  of  which  she 
did  not  mean  a  word.  Wolsey  raised  himself  in  his  bed 
when  the  presents  were  shown  to  him,  and  thanked  the 
doctor  joyfully  for  the  comfort  he  had  brought.  At 
the  end  of  four  days  he  was  well  again.  But  he  was  too 
near  the  court  for  the  comfort  or  ease  of  his  enemies,  so 


1522.  Anne  Boleyn.  389 

the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  Anne's  uncle,  sent  him  wo^d  through 
Cromwell  "  that  if  he  did  not  instantly  depart  for  the 
north  he  would  tear  him  with  his  teeth."  He  did  go  as  far 
as  Cawood,  near  York,  but  Anne  never  ceased  her  perse- 
cutions until  she  had  him  arrested  for  high  treason,  and 
employed  her  early  lover  Percy  to  carry  him  the  warrant. 
No  doubt  this  was  done  to  remind  the  cardinal  of  her  first 
cause  of  hatred  towards  him.  He  was  in  prison  only 
twenty-five  days  when  he  obtained  his  release. 

At  this  time  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  Anne's  uncle,  was 
president  of  the  cabinet,  while  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  her 
father,  Sir  Thomas  More,  Fitzwilliam,  and  Stephen 
Gardiner  conducted  the  affairs  of  the  realm,  but  she  was 
the  ruling  power  that  influenced  them  all.  She  kept  up 
her  court  with  great  splendor,  and  spent  money  most 
extravagantly.  Still  she  could  not  marry  the  king  until 
Cromwell's  bold  stroke  that  separated  England  from  the 
power  of  the  pope  enabled  her  to  do  so. 

Then  poor  Queen  Katharine  was  driven  away  from 
Windsor  Castle,  and  the  king  created  Anne  Boleyn 
Marchioness  of  Pembroke,  with  a  pension  of  ^1000  per 
annum.  This  ceremo^iy  was  performed  with  great  pomp. 
The  king  was  seated  on  his  throne  in  the  presence  chamber 
at  Windsor,  surrounded  by  his  councillors  and  a  number  of 
peers.  Anne  Boleyn  entered,  followed  by  a  long  train  of 
courtiers,  and  lords  and  ladies  of  the  nobility.  Lady  Mary 
carried  on  her  left  arm  a  robe  of  state  made  of  crimson 
velvet,  lined  and  trimmed  with  ermine,  and  in  her  right 
hand  a  coronet  of  gold.  Anne  wore  a  jacket  of  red  velvet 
with  short  sleeves,  her  hair  hanging  loosely  about  her 
shoulders.  She  courtesied  three  times  before  reaching  the 
throne,  then  kneeled  down  at  the  king's  feet.  After  that 
the  charter  was  read  aloud,  and  the  king  himself  placed  the 
mantle  on  the   shoulders   of  the   new   marchioness  and 


390 


The  Queens  of  England. 


the  coronet  on  her  head.  She  thanked  the  sovereign 
humbly,  and  withdrew  amidst  the  sounding  of  trumpets. 
Anne  Boleyn's  tastes  were  much  more  in  harmony  with 
those  of  the  king  than  Katharine's  had  been,  for  she  was 
fond  of  hunting  and  all  games  of  cards  and  dice.  She  was 
a  lucky  gamester  as  a  rule,  but  Henrj^'s  losses  were 
perfectly  enormous,  and  formed  quite  an  important  item  in 
his  private  expenses. 


ANNE   boleyn's    CHAJIBER    AT    HEVER    CASTLE. 

The  exact  time  or  place  of  the  marriage  between  Henry 
VIII.  and  Anne  Boleyn  is  not  known.  It  was  kept  secret 
because  it  was  so  unpopular  in  England,  but  as  soon  as  the 
ceremony  was  performed  Viscount  Rochford  was  sent  to 
France  to  announce  the  event  to  Francis  I.  When  the 
secret  leaked  out  Cranmer  publicly  announced  King 
Henr\-'s  divorce  from  Queen  Katharine  and  his  marriage 
to  Anne  Boleyn,  who  then  began  to  appear  in  state. 

[A.D.  1534.]     Early  in  May,  1534,  the  king  notified  the 


1522.  Anne  Boleyn.  391 

lord-mayor  that  the  coronation  of  Queen  Anne  would  take 
place  at  Westminster  on  Whitsunday,  and  requested  him  to 
conduct  her  grace  from  Greenwich  to  the  Tower  by  water 
a  few  days  before.  On  the  19th  of  May  the  river  Thames 
presented  a  most  festive  appearance.  In  obedience  to  the 
royal  order  a  barge  had  been  decorated  and  fitted  up  for 
Anne  Boleyn 's  use  in  a  most  gorgeous  style.  The  lord- 
mayor  embarked  in  this,  and  fifty  others  followed  in 
his  train,  one  carrying  a  band  of  music,  while  the  others 
were  filled  with  all  the  great  men  of  London  dressed 
in  scarlet,  many  of  them  wearing  heavy  gold  chains  about 
their  necks,  and  others  their  order  of  knighthood.  Hun- 
dreds of  little  row-boats  were  moving  about  on  the  water 
besides,  for  every  one  who  could  procure  any  sort  of  a  tug 
accompanied  the  chief  of  the  city  to  Greenwich,  or  rested 
on  their  oars  in  the  best  positions  they  could  find  to  get  a 
sight  of  the  new  queen.  On  the  deck  of  the  royal  barge 
was  a  tremendous  dragon,  surrounded  by  other  monsters 
that  were  from  time  to  time  made  to  vomit  forth  fire  by 
concealed  artillerymen  to  the  delight  and  terror  of  the  dif- 
ferent boats  that  floated  near.  On  one  barge  sat  a  score 
of  young  ladies  amidst  festoons  of  red  and  white  roses 
arranged  on  branches  that  formed  a  canopy,  at  the  summit 
of  which  sat  a  white  falcon  crowned,  holding  a  sceptre  in 
one  foot,  and  Anne  Boleyn's  motto  "  Me  and  Mine  "  hang- 
ing on  his  breast.  These  young  ladies  sang  the  queen's 
praises  in  a  chorus  as  they  glided  over  the  water.  All  the 
barges  were  fitted  up  with  gay  flags,  flowers  and  banners. 
Having  reached  Greenwich  Palace  they  anchored,  the 
band  performing  different  pieces  of  music,  and  the  chorus 
of  ladies  singing  until  three  o'clock,  when  Anne  appeared 
superbly  dressed  and  attended  by  her  ladies.  She  entered 
her  barge,  and  the  gay  flotilla  moved  down  the  river  again 
amidst  music,  cheering,  and  the  sounding  of  trumpets  until 


392  The  Queens  of  England. 

it  reached  the  Tower,  when  a  marvellous  peal  of  guns 
was  shot  off.  The  lord-chamberlain  received  the  queen 
and  conducted  her  to  the  king,  who  kissed  her  tenderly. 
The  whole  evening  the  barges  hovered  near  the  Tower, 
and  from  them  was  a  display  of  brilliant  fireworks,  while 
crowds  of  people,  stood  to  witness  them  on  the  neighboring 
wharves  and  bridges. 

How  different  were  the  feelings  of  the  fair  Anne  within 
that  self-same  fortress  only  two  short  years  later.  On  the 
eve  of  the  coronation,  according  to  the  usual  custom,  the 
queen  was  conducted  through  the  city  of  London  in  grand 
procession.  All  the  streets  through  which  she  passed  were 
decorated.  The  lord-mayor  received  her  at  the  Tower 
gate.  He  wore  a  crimson  velvet  gown  with  a  gold  collar. 
First  in  the  procession  came  the  French  ambassador  with 
his  retinue  in  blue  and  yellow  velvet,  then  the  judges,  next 
the  newly-made  Knights  of  the  Bath  in  violet  gowns  with 
hoods  lined  and  trimmed  with  white  fur.  After  them  came 
the  abbots,  then  the  nobility  and  the  bishops.  The  Arch- 
bishop of  York  rode  with  the  ambassador  of  Venice,  and 
Cranmer,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  with  the  French 
ambassador.  Then  followed  two  esquires  wearing  the 
coronet  of  Normandy  and  Aquitaine,  the  lord-mayor  with 
his  mace  and  garter,  several  more  knights  and  nobles. 
Close  behind  them  was  an  open  litter  drawn  by  two  white 
horses  led  by  footmen  dressed  in  white  damask.  In  this 
litter  sat  the  bright  object  of  the  parade  in  a  jacket  of 
silver  tissue,  mantle  of  the  same  lined  with  ermine,  her 
dark  hair  falling  in  pretty  contrast  over  her  shoulders.  A 
band  of  precious  stones  encircled  her  head,  and  above  her 
was  held  by  four  knights  on  foot  a  canopy  covered  with 
cloth  of  cold. 

The  master  of  the  horse  led  the  queen's  own  riding  ani- 
mal, bearing  a  rich  side-saddle  with  trappings  of  cloth  of 


1534- 


Anne  Boleyn. 


393 


gold  that  reached  nearly  to  the  ground.  Seven  ladies  on 
horseback,  dressed  in  crimson  velvet,  followed  ;  then  came 
two  chariots,  in  one  of  which  sat  the  old  Duchess  of  Nor- 
folk with  the  Marchioness  of  Dorset,  and  in  the  other  four 
ladies  of  the  bed-chamber.  Fourteen  more  ladies  with  their 
waiting  maids  came  next,  and  the  guard  brought  up  the 
rear. 

At  Fenchurch  street  was  a  pageant  of  children  dressed 
up  to  represent  different  kinds  of  merchants,  who  welcomed 
the  queen  both  in  French 
and  English,  the  whole 
procession  halting  for 
that  purpose.  At  a  cor- 
ner of  another  street  was 
an  enormous  fountain 
that  poured  forth  fine 
Rhenish  wine  all  day 
long,  of  which  anybody 
could  drink  just  as  much 
as  he  chose.  One  of  the 
pageants  was  a  white  fal- 
con similar  to  the  one  on  - 
the  barge,  with  this  dif-  Watergate,  tower. 

ference :  it  sat  uncrowned  amidst  red  and  white  roses, 
and  when  the  queen  came  opposite  it,  an  angel  flew  down, 
accompanied  by  soft  music,  and  placed  a  crown  of  gold  on 
its  head.  A  fountain  of  red  wine  flowed  at  another  comer, 
and  the  three  Graces  stood  above  it  on  a  throne,  before 
which  sat  a  poet  who  recited  verses  and  presented  the 
queen  with  appropriate  gifts  from  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity. 
The  city  recorder  handed  the  queen  a  purse  containing 
a  thousand  marks  in  gold,  which  she  graciously  received  with 
thanks.  At  Cheapside  was  a  rich  pageant  from  which  pro- 
ceeded music  and  singing,  while  Pallas,  Venus,  and  Juno 


394  1^^^  Queens  of  England. 

held  up  their  apples  of  gold  containing  wisdom,  riches,  and 
felicity,  which  they  presented  to  the  queen.  Over  the  gate 
of  St.  Paul's  was  a  banner  with  this  inscription  in  Latin : 
*'  Proceed,  Queen  Anne,  and  reign  prosperously." 
.  On  a  scaffold  near  by  were  two  hundred  children,  all 
beautifully  dressed,  who  recited  verses,  and  so  after  passing 
several  other  pageants  and  fountains  of  red  and  white  wine, 
the  queen  arrived  at  Westminster.  The  palace  was  richly 
decorated  within  and  without.  She  rode  to  the  very  middle 
of  the  hall,  where  she  was  assisted  to  alight  from  her  litter, 
and  led  up  the  high  dais,  where  she  took  her  seat  under 
the  canopy  of  state.  At  her  left  side  stood  a  cabinet  with 
ten  shelves  filled  with  rich  and  costly  cups  and  goblets  of 
gold.  After  partaking  of  wine,  cake,  and  sugar-plums,  which 
were  handed  to  her  ladies  also,  she  withdrew  to  change  her 
dress,  and  probably  to  rest,  for  all  the  parading  and  sight- 
seeing of  the  past  several  hours  must  have  been  rather 
fatiguing. 

The  next  day  was  the  one  that  Anne  had  looked  forward 
to  for  many  years ;  the  one  that  was  to  place  her  on  the 
throne  of  England.  It  was  the  ist  of  July,  and  at  a  little 
after  eight  o'clock  on  that  bright  summer  morning  she  stood 
under  her  canopy  of  state  in  a  purple  velvet  mantle  lined 
with  ermine,  a  band  of  rubies  encircling  her  brow.  There 
was  the  usual  procession  for  such  occasions,  and  the  queen 
was  conducted  to  the  high  altar  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
where  she  prostrated  herself  while  Cranmer  recited  part  of 
the  service.  Then  he  anointed  her  on  the  head  and  breast, 
placed  the  crown  on  her  head,  and  handed  her  the  sceptre, 
while  the  choir  sang  the  Te  Deum.  She  returned  to  her 
seat  between  the  high  altar  and  the  choir,  where  she 
remained  to  the  end  of  the  mass,  when  her  father  led  her 
to  her  private  room  off  Westminster  Hall  to  wait  till  the 
banquet  was  prepared.    Then  all  the  great  earls  stood  in 


1534*  Anne  Boleyn.  ,395 

gorgeous  attire  prepared  to  wait  on  the  queen  in  different 
capacities,  the  Duke  of  Suffolk  as  high  steward,  assisted 
by  Lord  William  Howard,  the  Earl  of  Sussex  as  carver,  the 
Earl  of  Arundel  as  chief  butler,  and  so  on. 

When  all  was  ready,  the  queen  entered  the  hall  with  her 
canopy  borne  over  her,  washed  her  hands  in  the  perfumed 
water  poured  over  them  by  Sir  Thomas  Wyatt,  and  took 
her  seat  at  the  table,  the  Countesses  of  Oxford  and  Worces- 
ter standing  on  either  side  of  her  chair,  while  two  gentle- 
women sat  at  her  feet.  All  the  tables  in  the  hall  were 
beautifully  laid  and  tastefully  decorated,  and  there  was  music 
all  through  the  meal.  The  king  took  no  part  in  this  ceremony 
at  all,  but  remained  shut  up  in  the  cloister  of  St.  Stephen's 
a  part  of  the  abbey,  whence  he  could  overlook  all  the  pro- 
ceedings without  being  seen  himself.  During  the  dinner 
the  Duke  of  Suffolk  and  Lord  William  Howard  rode  up  and 
down  the  hall,  laughing  and  chatting  with  the  lords  and 
ladies,  and  when  it  was  over  commanded  them  to  remain 
in  their  places  until  the  queen  had  washed  her  hands. 
She  arose  and  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  hall,  while  the 
Earl  of  Sussex  brought  her  some  sweetmeats.  Then  the 
lord-mayor  brought  her  a  golden  cup  filled  with  wine. 
After  she  had  drunk,  she  presented  him  the  cup  and  walked 
towards  the  door  of  her  room  under  her  canopy.  Before 
disappearing,  she  turned  and  presented  the  gold  bells, 
canopy,  and  all  its  decorations  to  the  barons  who  had  car- 
ried it. 

On  the  following  day  there  were  jousts  before  the  king 
and  queen  in  the  tilt-yard.  But  the  pope  did  not  approve 
of  this  second  marriage,  and  so  expelled  the  royal  couple 
from  the  church ;  and  Henry's  cousin  Cardinal  Pole,  wrote 
him  letters  of  reproach,  calling  Anne  "  Jezebel,"  "  Sorcer- 
ess," and  many  other  horrible  names.  Nevertheless,  the 
king  treated  her  with  all  the  dignity  of  her  station,  and  had 


396  The  Queens  of  England. 

her  initial  A  joined  with  his  own  on  all  the  gold  and 
silver  coins  that  were  struck  after  their  marriage.  Henry 
VIII.  was  the  first  and  last  monarch  of  England  who  ever 
paid  his  wife  that  compliment. 

Sir  Thomas  More  was  one  of  Anne's  special  enemies, 
because  he  remained  true  in  his  friendship  for  Queen 
Katherine  to  the  day  of  her  death.  When  his  daughter 
visited  him  in  the  Tower  he  asked  her  "  how  Queen  Anne 
did?" 

"  Never  better,"  she  replied  :  "  there  is  nothing  else  at 
court  but  dancing  and  sporting." 

"  Never  better  !  "  said  he,  "  alas  !  Meg,  alas  !  it  pitieth 
me  to  think  into  what  misery,  poor  soul,  she  will  shortly 
come.  These  dances  of  hers  will  prove  such  dances  that 
she  will  spurn  our  heads  off  like  foot-balls,  but  it  will  not 
be  long  ere  her  head  will  dance  the  like  dance."  Her 
tragical  end  proves  the  truth  of  that  poet's  prophetic 
words. 

When  that  great  and  good  man  was  executed,  the 
announcement  of  it  was  made  to  Henry  while  he  happened 
to  be  playing  cards  with  Anne.  "  Thou  art  the  cause  of 
this  man's  death,"  he  cried,  looking  at  her  angrily,  and 
rising  from  the  table.  He  then  shut  himself  up  in  his 
room,  deeply  grieved. 

[A.D.  1533.]  In  1533  Anne  had  a  little  daughter  born, 
who  afterwards  became  the  renowned  Queen  Elizabeth. 
The  opposition  her  marriage  had  met  with  from  Rome 
caused  Anne  to  side  with  the  Reformation  party,  though 
she  always  continued  a  Catholic  at  heart,  and  observed  all 
the  ceremonies  of  that  church.  It  is  probable  that  she 
took  no  part  in  the  cruelty  that  Henry  exercised  over  the 
pious  reformers,  but  it  is  certain  that  she  made  no  effort  to 
prevent  it;  for  had  she  done  so,  she  was  still  powerful 
enough  to  have  succeeded.     She  had  enjoyed  one  triumph 


1533- 


Anne  Boleyn. 


397 


after  another,  but  when  she  reached  the  very  summit  of  her 
greatness,  no  doubt  she  found  that  her  path  had  been  more 
thickly  strewn  with  thorns  than  roses,  and  that  in  reading 
the  Scriptures  she  felt  the  force  of  the  text,  which  says  : 
"  What  is  a  man  profited  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and 
lose  his  own  soul  ?  "  She  became  grave  and  serious,  and 
spent  more  time  at  needlework  with  her  ladies,  whom  she 
assisted  in  making  clothing  which  she  distributed  among 
the  poor. 


HAMPTON     COURT. 


Probably  this  change  was  due  to  the  influence  of  the 
reformer,  Hugh  Latimer,  whom  she  rescued  from  prison, 
where  he  had  been  sent  by  the  bishop  of  London  ;  for  it 
was  after  he  preached  to  her  and  pointed  out  her  duty 
that  she  so  generously  distributed  alms  and  even  paid  for 
the  education  of  promising  lads  who  were  likely  to  devote 
themselves  to  the  church.     She  must  often  have  felt  that 


398  The  Queens  of  England. 

her  position  on  the  throne  of  England  was  not  very  secure, 
for  as  her  capricious  husband  had  behaved  towards  his 
first  wife  might  he  not  behave  towards  her  also  ? 

When  the  news  of  Katharine's  death  was  brought  to  her 
she  exclaimed  :  "  Now  I  am  indeed  a  queen  ! "  But  it  was 
not  long  before  she  was  suffering  all  the  bitter  pangs  that 
the  good  queen  over  whose  death  she  rejoiced  had  endured. 

Henry  had  grown  tired  of  her,  and  was  carrying  on  a 
flirtation  with  the  beautiful  Jane  Seymour,  one  of  her  attend- 
ants. And  so,  under  one  pretext  or  another,  her  friends 
were  either  beheaded  or  locked  up  in  the  Tower. 

At  last  her  turn  came,  and  just  as  she  had  finished  her 
dinner,  on  the  2d  of  May,  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  with  Crom- 
well and  other  lords  of  the  council  entered,  while  Sir  Wil- 
liam Kingston,  lieutenant  of  the  Tower,  stood  in  the  door- 
way. 

Anne  asked  "  why  they  had  come  ?  "  They  replied  : 
"  That  they  came  by  the  king's  command  to  conduct  her 
to  the  Tower,  there  to  abide  during  his  highness'  pleasure." 

"  If  it  be  his  majesty's  pleasure  I  am  ready  to  obey," 
she  said,  going  with  them  to  her  barge  without  waiting  to 
make  the  least  change  in  her  garments.  Arriving  at  the 
Tower,  she  was  placed  in  the  apartment  she  had  occupied 
on  the  night  before  her  coronation.  Her  attendants  were 
two  enemies,  who  were  particularly  disagreeable  to  her  — 
Lady  Boleyn  and  Mrs.  Cosyns.  These  two  women  never 
left  her,  night  or  day,  for  they  slept  on  a  pallet  at  the  foot 
of  her  bed,  and  reported  every  word  she  uttered.  They 
made  all  sorts  of  impertinent  remarks  to  her,  and  kept 
constantly  annoying  her  with  questions  by  which  they  hoped 
to  prove  something  against  her. 

The  poor  queen  was  so  affected  by  her  close  imprison- 
ment that  at  times  she  seemed  to  have  lost  her  reason. 
She  wrote  a  touching  letter  to  the  king,  appealing  to  his 


1533'  Anne  Boleyn.  399 

mercy,  but  he  took  not  the  slightest  notice  of  it,  and  just 
one  week  after  she  was  sent  to  prison  a  charge  of  high 
treason  was  made  by  the  grand  jury  of  Westminster  against 
Anne  Boleyn,  her  brother,  and  four  of  her  best  friends. 

The  friends  were  condemned  to  death,  as  almost  every- 
body was  in  Henry  VIIL's  reign  who  was  brought  to  trial 
for  high  treason,  though  sometimes  they  were  not  even  tried 
at  all. 

Twenty-six  "  lords'  triers,"  from  the  body  of  nobles  in 
England  were  selected  to  try  Lord  Rochford,  Anne's 
brother;  and,  although  he  defended  himself  with  great 
spirit  and  eloquence,  and  many  of  the  judges  sided  with 
him,  he  was  found  guilty. 

After  his  removal,  Anne,  Queen  of  England,  was  called 
into  court  by  an  usher. 

She  appeared  immediately,  and  took  her  stand  "  with  the 
true  dignity  of  a  queen,  courtesying  to  her  judges  without 
any  sign  of  fear." 

The  charges  were  read,  and  she  pleaded  "  Not  guilty," 
but  the  trial  was  continued  for  a  long  time,  and  ended  by 
a  verdict  of  guilty.  It  was  her  uncle,  the  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
who  presided  at  this  trial,  and  he  pronounced  her  sentence. 
She  was  condemned  to  be  burnt  or  beheaded,  at  the  king's 
pleasure.  Anne  Boleyn  heard  this  dreadful  doom  without 
changing  color,  but  when  her  stern  kinsman  had  ended, 
she  clasped  her  hands  and  raising  her  eyes  to  Heaven 
exclaimed :  "  O  Father !  O  Creator !  Thou  who  art  the  way 
the  life,  and  the  truth,  knowest  whether  I  have  deserved 
this  death." 

She  then  turned  to  her  judges  and  proclaimed  her  inno- 
cence of  every  charge  made  against  her,  closing  her  remarks 
with :  "  Think  not  I  say  this  in  the  hope  of  prolonging  my  life. 
God  has  taught  me  how  to  die,  and  he  will  strengthen  my 
faith.    As  for  my  brother  and  those  others  who  are  unjustly 


400  The  Queens  of  England. 

condemned,  I  would  willingly  suffer  many  deaths  to  deliver 
them ;  but  since  I  see  it  so  pleases  the  king  I  shall  willingly 
accompany  them  to  death,  with  this  assurance,  that  I  shall 
lead  an  endless  life  with  them  in  peace."  With  a  composed 
air,  she  rose,  made  a  parting  salutation  to  her  judges,  and 
left  the  court. 

The  19th  of  May  was  the  day  appointed  for  her  execu- 
tion, and  the  interval  was  passed  in  prayer  and  confession, 
receiving  the  sacraments  of  the  church,  and  other  prepara- 
tions for  death. 

It  was  the  king's  pleasure  that  she  should  be  beheaded 
in  the  grounds  of  the  Tower,  and  that  no  strangers  should 
be  admitted.  A  headsman  from  Calais  was  brought  over 
to  do  the  horrible  deed,  because  he  was  considered  par- 
ticularly expert.  Anne  Boleyn's  fate  had  had  no  pre- 
cedent in  English  history,  for  even  in  the  Norman  reigns 
of  terror  woman's  life  had  been  held  sacred,  and  the  most 
merciless  of  the  Plantagenet  sovereigns  had  been  too  manly 
to  butcher  ladies.  But  the  age  of  chivalry  was  over,  and 
Henry  VIII.  was  the  first  sovereign  who  sent  queens  and 
princesses  to  the  block,  without  justice  or  mercy. 

The  unfortunate  queen  was  duly  informed  of  her  fate ; 
her  mournful  experience  had  shown  her  the  vanity  and 
vexation  of  flattery.  Beauty,  wealth,  genius,  pleasure, 
power,  royalty,  had  all  been  hers,  and  whither  had  they 
led  her  ? 

She  had  not  condescended  to  implore  the  mercy  of  the 
king,  for  she  knew  his  pitiless  nature  too  well  even  to 
attempt  to  touch  his  feelings.  She  passed  the  last  night 
in  prayer,  and  when  morning  came,  and  she  heard  that  her 
execution  was  to  be  a  few  hours  later  than  she  expected, 
she  said  to  Mr.  Kingston :  "  I  hear  I  shall  not  die  afore 
noon,  and  I  am  very  sorry,  for  I  thought  to  be  dead  by 
this  time,  and  past  my  pain." 


1536-  Anne  Boleyn.  401 

Mr.  Kingston  told  her  that  the  pain  would  be  little  and 
very  short. 

"  I  have  heard  say,"  she  replied,  "  that  the  executioner 
is  very  good,  and  I  have  a  little  neck,"  and  she  spanned 
it  with  her  hands,  laughing  heartily  as  she  did  so. 

[A.D.  1536.]  Her  last  message  to  the  king  was  :  "  Com- 
mend me  to  his  majesty,  and  tell  him  he  hath  been  ever 
constant  in  his  career  of  advancing  me  ;  from  a  private 
gentlewoman  he  made  me  a  marchioness,  from  a  mar- 
chioness a  queen,  and  now  he  hath  left  no  higher  degree  of 
honor  he  gives  my  innocency  the  crown  of  martyrdom," 

A  few  minutes  before  twelve  o'clock  the  massive  doors 
of  the  Tower  were  thrown  open,  and  the  royal  victim 
appeared  in  a  robe  of  black  damask  with  a  deep  white 
cape  falling  around  her  shoulders. 

She  looked  very  beautiful  when  she  ascended  the 
scaffold,  with  a  calm  and  dignified  air,  and  turning  to 
Kingston  she  requested  him  not  to  hasten  the  signal  of  her 
death  until  she  had  spoken  what  she  desired  to  say. 

Then  she  began :  "  Good  Christian  people,  I  am  come 
hither  to  die  by  the  law,  therefore  I  will  speak  nothing 
against  it.  I  am  come  hither  to  accuse  no  man,  but  only 
to  die,  and  to  yield  myself  humbly  unto  the  will  of  my  lord 
the  king.  I  pray  God  to  save  the  king,  and  send  him  long 
to  reign  over  you,  for  a  gentler  or  more  merciful  prince 
there  never  was.  If  any  person  will  meddle  with  my  cause, 
I  require  them  to  judge  the  best.  Thus  I  take  my  leave 
of  the  world  and  of  you,  and  I  heartily  desire  that  you  all 
will  pray  for  me."  She  then  removed  her  hat  and  collar, 
as  well  as  the  close  cap  from  her  head,  and  handed  them 
to  her  ladies,  who  were  weeping  so  bitterly  that  they  could 
not  aid  her.  Then  turning  to  them  she  said :  "  And  ye, 
my  damsels,  who  ever  showed  yourselves  so  diligent  in  my 
service,  and  who  are  now  to  be  present  at  my  last  hour 


402  The  Queens  of  England. 

and  mortal  agony,  as  in  good  fortune  ye  were  faithful  to 
me,  so  even  in  this  my  miserable  death  ye  do  not  forsake 
me.  And  as  I  cannot  reward  you  for  your  true  service  to 
me,  I  pray  you  take  comfort  for  my  loss.  Forget  me  not, 
and  be  always  faithful  to  the  king's  grace,  and  to  her  whom 
with  happier  fortune,  ye  may  have  as  your  queen  and 
mistress.  Esteem  your  honor  far  above  your  life,  and  in 
prayers  forget  not  to  pray  for  my  soul." 

Mary  Wyatt,  the  sister  of  Sir  Thomas  Wyatt,  the  poet, 
who  was  one  of  Anne's  devoted  friends,  attended  her  on 
the  scaffold,  and  received  her  last  gift,  which  was  a  little 
book  of  devotions  bound  in  black  enamel  and  gilt.  She 
then  whispered  a  few  words  to  this  lady,  and  kneeling 
down,  placed  her  head  upon  the  block.  Time  was  allowed 
the  poor  unfortunate  queen  to  say ;  "  O  Lord  God,  have 
pity  on  my  soul,"  when  the  sword  fell.  With  one  stroke, 
the  head  of  Anne  Boleyn  was  severed  from  her  body,  and 
rolled  in  the  dust. 

There  is  a  black  marble  monument  in  the  ancient  church 
of  Horndon-on-the-Hill,  in  Essex,  pointed  out  as  the  burial 
place  of  Anne  Boleyn,  but  as  it  bears  no  name,  no  notice 
or  inscription  of  any  kind,  there  is  no  proof  that  her  body 
lies  there. 

A  great  epic  poet  has  beautifully  said  :  — 

"  Tradition  !  oh,  tradition  !   thou  of  the  seraph  tongue ; 
The  ark  that  links  two  ages,  the  ancient  and  the  young." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

JANE   SEYMOUR,  THIRD  QUEEN  OF  HENRY  VIII. 
(A.D.  1536-1537) 

Jane  Seymour  has  always  been  pronounced  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  the  wives  of  Henry  VIII.  But  she  has  also 
been  presented  to  the  world  as  a  meritorious,  discreet,  young 
woman.  We  cannot  consider  her  so  when  we  remember 
that  within  twenty-four  hours  after  'Anne  Boleyn's  head  was 
cut  off  she  became  the  king's  wife.  For  it  must  have  been 
while  acting  as  maid  of  honor  for  that  unhappy  lady  that 
she  not  only  received  the  attentions  of  her  fickle,  heartless 
husband,  but  even  made  all  the  necessary  arrangements 
for  her  marriage  with  him.  We  shudder  at  the  thought  of 
the  preparations  that  must  have  been  going  forward  for  the 
wedding-feast  at  the  palace,  while  the  Tower  was  the  scene 
of  heart-rending  agony  to  the  queen,  who  was  about  to  sac- 
rifice her  life  for  the  gratification  of  a  tyrant. 

The  giddiness  of  youth  cannot  be  pleaded  as  apology  for 
Jane  Seymour's  indecency,  for  she  was  no  child  when  she 
permitted  herself  to  be  courted  by  the  royal  Bluebeard,  and 
must  have  been  entirely  conscious  of  the  enormity  of  her 
actions. 

Perhaps  her  early  education  was  at  fault,  but  of  that  little 
is  known  excepting  that  it  was  acquired  in  France.  She 
was  maid  of  honor  to  Mary  Tudor,  queen  of  Louis  XII., 
and  went  to  England  after  her  dismissal  from  the  French 
court.     Anne  Boleyn  occupied  a  similar  position   at  the 

403 


404  The  Queens  of  England. 

same  time,  therefore  the  two  maids  of  honor  probably  knew 
each  other  intimately. 

One  day,  after  Anne  Boleyn  had  ascended  the  throne, 
she  observ'ed  a  locket  that  hung  from  a  pretty  gold  chain 
about  the  neck  of  Jane  Seymour,  and  expressed  a  desire  to 
see  it  closer.  The  maid  of  honor  blushed,  faltered,  and 
drew  back,  whereupon  the  queen  snatched  the  locket  from 
her,  opened  it,  and  beheld  the  likeness  of  the  king,  her 
husband. 

From  that  moment  Anne  Boleyn  knew  that  her  fate  was 
sealed ;  she  was  indignant,  but  that  availed  her  nothing. 
She  found  herself  supplanted  by  a  rival  as  she  had  supplanted 
her  predecessor.  Perhaps  her  punishment  was  deserved, 
but  it  does  not  justify  the  conduct  of  the  king  or  his  new 
lady-love. 

[A.D.  1536.]  When  the  axe  made  Henry  VIII.  a  wid- 
ower, Jane  Seymour  was  at  Wolf  Hall,  in  Wiltshire,  and  her 
royal  lover  at  Richmond  Park.  On  the  morning  of  the  19th 
of  May  his  majesty  stood  under  a  spreading  oak,  with  his 
huntsmen  and  hounds  prepared  for  the  chaise,  awaiting  the 
signal  gun  from  the  Tower  to  announce  that  he  was  free. 
At  last  the  welcome  sound  reached  his  ear.  "  Ha,  ha ! " 
he  cried,  "  the  deed  is  done !  uncouple  the  hounds  and 
away."  This  was  all  the  regret  he  expressed  for  the  death 
of  the  woman  he  had  pretended  to  love  so  well. 

His  widowhood  lasted  just  one  night,  for  the  next  morn- 
ing he  was  at  Wolf  Hall,  where  he  was  united  to  the  beautiful 
Jane  Seymour.  The  ceremony  was  performed  in  the  parish 
church,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  feast  at  which  several  mem- 
bers of  the  king's  privy  council  were  present. 

Then  the  royal  couple  proceeded  to  Winchester,  and  from 
there  to  London.  A  grand  reception  was  held  on  the  29th 
of  May,  when  Jane  was  presented  as  queen. 

When  parliament  met,  a  few  days  later,  the  lord-chan- 


JANE    SEYMOUR. 


1536.  Jane  Seymour.  407 

cellor  made  a  lengthy  speech  setting  forth  the  king's  virtues, 
trying  to  justify  his  vagaries  in  the  matrimonial  line  by  a 
great  deal  of  tedious,  false  reasoning,  and  winding  up  with 
the  information  that  Anne  Boleyn's  daughter  was  not  heir 
to  the  throne  of  England.  Part  of  this  speech  was  devoted 
to  setting  forth  the  noble  sacrifices  made  by  Henry  VIII. 
for  the  benefit  of  his  people. 

The  speaker  chosen  by  the  House  of  Commons  went 
further,  and  loaded  the  king  with  the  most  fulsome  compli- 
ments, comparing  him  to  Samson,  Solomon,  and  Absalom 
combined.  Thus  was  Henry  VIII.  encouraged  in  his  wicked- 
ness, until,  as  Cardinal  Wolsey  wisely  said  :  "  he  actually 
forgot  that  there  was  both  heaven  and  hell." 

The  Princess  Mary  was  on  good  terms  with  her  step- 
mother, who  effected  a  reconciliation  between  her  and  the 
king  ;  but  the  conditions  were  so  cruel,  that  there  was  not 
much  to  be  grateful  for.  Perhaps  Jane  was  not  responsible 
for  them,  and  as  we  have  so  little  that  is  favorable  to  relate 
of  this  queen,  we  will  give'  her  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 
She  made  no  enemies,  because  she  avoided  expressing  any 
decided  opinions,  and  preserved  as  much  as  possible  a  pla- 
cid silence,  and  permitted  herself  to  be  governed,  in  all 
things,  by  her  husband.  If  regard  for  her  head  prompted 
such  behavior,  at  least  she  was  wise. 

The  winter  of  1537  was  a  remarkably  cold  one,  and  the 
royal  couple  with  their  entire  court  crossed  the  frozen 
Thames  on  horseback,  so  thick  and  solid  was  the  ice.. 

Henry's  two  other  queens  had  been  crowned,  so  he 
thought  the  same  honor  ought  to  be  conferred  on  the  third, 
but  the  continuance  of  the  pestilence  caused  that  ceremony 
to  be  postponed  so  k>ng  that  death  prevented  it  altogether, 
for  Jane  Seymour  live  d  only  eighteen  months  after  her  mar- 
riage. Meanwhile,  she  was  living  at  Hampton  Court,  where 
her  little  son  was  born,  who  afterwards  became  Edward  VI. 


408 


The  Queens  of  England. 


[A.D.  1537.]  This  prince  was  baptized  at  midnight,  and 
both  his  sisters,  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  took  part  in  the  cer- 
emony, which  was  succeeded  by  such  a  blowing  of  trumpets 
as  must  have  been  very  trying,  indeed,  to  the  nerves  of  a 
young  infant. 

The  next  day  Jane  Seymour  died.  Her  body  was 
embalmed  and  laid  on  a  car  of  state  covered  with  a  rich  vel- 


HAMPTON  COURT,  GARDEN  FRONT. 


vet  cloth.  On  top  of  this  pall  was  a  wax  figure  resembling 
the  dead  queen  dressed  in  regal  robes  with  a  crown,  sceptre, 
and  jewels. 

On  the  1 2th  of  'November  the  car  was  drawn  by  six 
horses  to  St.  George's  Chapel,  where  the  corpse  was  interred. 

Henry  VHI.  wrote  a  letter  to  Francis  I.  rejoicing  over 
the  birth  of  his  son  and  expressing  considerable  regret  at 
the  death  of  his  wife.  He  really  did  put  on  mourning  attire, 
and  appeared  depressed  in  spirits  for  several  weeks.  This 
is  all  that  could  be  expected  of  so  worldly  and  gay  a  king. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

ANNE  OF  CLEVES,  FOURTH   QUEEN  OF  HENRY  VIII. 
(A.D.   1516-1577.) 

Anne  of  Cleves  was  a  most  unfortunate,  ill-treated 
princess,  but  she  possessed  so  many  virtues  that  she  surely 
deserved  a  better  fate  than  to  become  the  wife  of  a  king 
so  devoid  of  the  feelings  of  a  gentleman  as  Henr\'  VIII. 

After  the  death  of  his  third  queen,  this  capricious 
monarch  did  not  find  it  so  easy  to  get  another  as  he 
probably  expected  it  would  be.  Certainly  it  must  have 
been  a  woman  of  rare  courage  who  would  willingly  subject 
herself  to  such  a  yoke,  knowing  the  experience  of  his  other 
victims. 

Jane  Seymour  had  not  been  dead  more  than  a  month 
when  he  made  a  request  of  Francis  I.  that  he  might  be 
permitted  to  choose  a  lady  from  the  royal  blood  of  France 
for  his  queen.  That  monarch  replied,  "that  there  was 
not  a  damsel  of  any  degree  in  his  own  dominions  who 
should  not  be  at  his  disposal." 

Henry  was  quite  flattered  at  this  compliment,  and  thought 
it  would  only  be  necessary  for  him  to  put  out  his  hand  to 
secure  any  woman  he  might  condescend  to  favor,  so  he 
requested  Francis  just  to  bring  all  the  fairest  ladies  of 
his  court  to  Calais  for  him  to  take  his  choice.  The 
gallantry  of  the  French  king  was  shocked  at  such  an  idea, 
and  he  replied,  "  that  it  was  impossible  to  bring  ladies  of 
noble  blood  to  market  as  horses  are  trotted  out  at  a  fair." 

Then  Henry  wanted  to  marry  James  V.'s  lady-love,  whom 

409 


4IO  The  Queens  of  England. 

he  had  seen  and  admired,  not  paying  the  slightest  attention 
to  the  fact  that  she  was  already  engaged.  When  he  found 
it  impossible  to  get  her,  he  was  ready  to  consider  the  prop- 
osition of  his  ambassador  with  regard  to  her  sister  or 
M^emoiselle  Vendome. 

"  Let  them  be  brought  to  Calais,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will 
take  a  look  at  them." 

"  That  would  be  impossible,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  your 
majesty  could  send  somebody  to  Paris  to  see  them." 

"  Good  gracious !  how  can  I  depend  upon  any  one  but 
myself  ?  "  asked  Henry.  "  I  must  see  them,  and  hear  them 
sing ;  and  what  is  more,  I  must  see  how  they  look  while 
they  are  singing,"  he  added. 

By  the  end  of  the  year  he  found  that  there  was  no  hope 
for  him  in  France,  so  he  put  on  a  most  melancholy  air, 
and  pretended  to  be  dreadfully  grieved  at  the  death  of  his 
pretty  Jane. 

This  state  of  mind  lasted  for  about  two  years ;  then 
Cromwell  spoke  in  such  flattering  terms  of  the  princesses 
of  the  house  of  Cleves  that  Henry  began  to  think  he  had 
played  the  rble  of  forlorn  widower  long  enough. 

Cromwell  had  only  seen  Sybilla,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
the  Duke  of  Cleves.  She  was  married  to  the  Duke  of 
Saxony,  and  was  famed  for  her  talents,  virtues,  charming 
manners,  and  extreme  beauty.  But  unfortunately  for 
Henry,  Anne,  the  second  daughter,  was  as  unlike  her 
sister  as  possible,  and  had  no  accomplishments  whatever, 
with  the  exception  of  needlework. 

Holbein,  the  celebrated  Dutch  artist,  was  required  to 
paint  the  portraits  of  both  Anne  and  her  younger  sister, 
Amelia,  for  Henry's  inspection,  and  Christopher  Mount 
was  sent  to  negotiate  the  treaty  of  marriage.  He  wrote  a 
letter  to  Cromwell  filled  with  Anne's  praises  and  said, 
"  she  as  far  excelleth  the  Dutchess  of  Saxony  as  the  golden 
sun  excelleth  the  silver  moon." 


1516.  Anne  of  Cleves.  411 

The  Duke  of  Saxony  was  very  much  opposed  to  a  union 
of  his  sister-in-law  with  a  man  of  Henry  VIII. 's  character, 
but  he  was  the  champion  of  the  Reformation,  and  Christo- 
pher Mount  assured  him  "  that  the  cause  of  Protestantism 
in  Europe  would  be  greatly  advanced  by  the  influence  of  a 
Lutheran  Queen  of  England,  for  Henry  was  easily  managed 
through  his  wives." 

The  Duke  of  Cleves  died  in  1559,  but  his  son,  who  suc- 
ceeded him,  favored  Anne's  marriage  with  King  Henry,  and 
so  did  their  mother,  both  being  strong  allies  of  the  Protest- 
ant cause,  and  feeling  that  even  though  it  might  be  a  sac- 
rifice, it  ought  to  be  made  for  the  sake  of  their  religion. 

One  of  Henry's  commissioners  wrote  him  that  Anne 
"  occupieth  much  of  her  time  with  her  needle.  She  can 
read  and  write  her  own  language,  but  French  and  Latin 
or  other  language  she  knoweth  not ;  nor  yet  can  sing  or 
play  on  any  instrument,  for  they  take  it  here  in  Germany 
for  a  rebuke  and  an  occasion  of  lightness  that  great  ladies 
should  be  learned,  or  have  any  knowledge  of  music."  He 
also  speaks  of  her  gentle  and  amiable  temper,  but  above  all 
he  praises  her  sobriety,  which  is  quite  amusing. 

Ever  since  the  death  of  Jane  Seymour  the  Catholics  and 
Protestants  of  England  had  vied  with  each  other  as  to 
which  should  be  next  represented  in  the  queen.  It  was 
the  magic  brush  of  Hans  Holbein  that  decided  the  question, 
and  Cromwell  won  a  triumph  over  Gardiner,  Norfolk,  and 
his  other  rivals,  though  it  brought  him  ruin  at  last. 

At  length  all  matters  of  state  policy  and  ceremony  were 
arranged,  and  the  young  princess  bade  farewell  to  her 
mother,  brother,  and  sisters,  by  whom  she  was  tenderly 
beloved. 

The  first  week  in  October,  1539,  she  left  her  native  city, 
Dusseldorf  on  the  Rhine,  attended  by  a  splendid  escort. 
On  her  arrival  at  Antwerp  she  was  received  by  the  English 


412  The  Queens  of  England. 

merchants  there,  who  gave  her  a  grand  torchlight  procession 
by  dayhght.  Next  day  she  proceeded  on  her  journey,  and 
arrived  at  Calais  December  ii. 

About  a  mile  outside  of  the  town  she  was  met  by  a  reg- 
iment of  armed  men,  with  the  king's  archers,  all  in  gay 
attire,  besides  the  Earl  of  Southampton,  Lord  William 
Howard,  and  many  other  lords  and  gentlemen.  Gregor)' 
Cromwell,  with  twenty-four  others  wore  coats  of  satin  dam- 
ask and  velvet,  with  gold  chains  of  great  value,  and  two 
hundred  yeoman  who  followed  them  were  dressed  in  the 
king's  colors,  red  and  blue  cloth. 

The  Earl  of  Southampton  welcomed  the  royal  bride  and 
conducted  her  into  Calais,  where  such  a  peal  of  guns  was 
shot  from  the  ships  on  her  arrival  that  all  her  retinue  were 
astonished.  Then  firing  began  all  along  the  coast,  and  was 
continued  by  the  vessels  until  there  were  one  hundred  and 
fifty  rounds,  and  so  much  smoke  that  the  people  in  Anne's 
train  could  scarcely  see  each  other. 

The  following  day  she  was  presented  by  the  mayor  with 
a  hundred  gold  sovereigns,  and  for  about  three  weeks  after 
her  arrival  there  were  all  sorts  of  pastimes  and  festivities. 
Meanwhile  Henry  impatiently  awaited  his  long-expected 
bride,  and  busied  himself  with  the  execution  of  four  worthy 
abbots. 

The  wind  did  not  favor  her  progress  until  the  27th,  when 
she  embarked,  attended  by  a  fleet  of  fifty  ships,  and  arrived 
at  Deal  the  same  day.  The  princess  was  received  by  a 
great  company  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  conducted  to 
Dover  Castle,  where  she  remained  until  the  next  Monday, 
when,  in  a  dreadful  storm,  she  set  out  for  Canterbury.  Sev- 
eral days  of  travel  brought  the  royal  bride  to  Rochester, 
and  New  Year's  Day  was  spent  at  the  bishop's  palace  in 
that  town. 

The  king  was  so  impatient  to  see  her,  that,  in  company 


iSt6.  Anne  of  Cleves.  413 

with  eight  of  his  gentlemen-in-waiting,  he  rode  to  Rochester 
to  steal  a  look  at  his  German  bride,  who,  no  doubt  he 
thought,  would  rival  the  bright-eyed  Boleyn  and  the  fair 
Seymour. 

On  his  arrival  he  sent  a  messenger  to  inform  Anne  "  that 
he  had  brought  her  a  New  Year's  gift,  if  she  would  please  to 
receive  it." 

He  followed  his  messenger  into  the  room  where  she  sat, 
but  a  glance  was  sufficient  to  show  him  that  he  had  been 
deceived.  She  was  by  no  means  a  pretty  woman,  and  Henry 
regarded  himself  as  an  injured  person  in  having  to  marry 
her.  Perhaps  she  was  not  more  charmed  with  his  appear- 
ance or  manners,  but  she  sank  upon  her  knees  at  his 
approach  and  did  her  best  to  receive  him  lovingly.  He 
raised  her  gently,  and  kissed  her,  but  there  could  not  have 
been  much  conversation  between  them  so  long  as  they  had 
to  employ  an  interpreter.  Besides  her  language  was  so 
displeasing  to  his  musical  ear  that  he  did  not  want  to  hear 
more  of  it  than  he  could  help,  though  he  knew  before  she 
came  that  she  could  speak  no  English,  The  moment  he 
left  her  presence  he  sent  for  the  lords  who  had  brought  her 
over  and  made  his  complaints. 

The  New  Year's  gift  that  he  had  provided  for  Anne  was 
a  muff  and  tippet  of  rich  sable,  but  when  he  found  she  was 
not  handsome  he  would  not  honor  her  by  presenting  it 
with  his  own  hands,  but  sent  it  on  the  following  morning 
by  a  messenger. 

He  returned  to  Greenwich  in  a  melancholy  frame  of 
mind,  and  abused  Cromwell  for  having  provided  him  with 
a  wife  whom,  with  his  usual  brutality,  he  called  a  "great 
Flanders  mare."  Cromwell  tried  to  put  the  blame  on  the 
Earl  of  Southampton,  and  said :  "  That  when  he  found 
the  princess  so  different  from  the  pictures,  and  the  reports 
that  had  been  made  of  her,  he  ought  to  have  stopped  her 


414  The  Queens  of  England, 

at  Calais  till  he  had  given  the  king  notice  that  she  was  not 
so  handsome  as  she  had  been  represented."  The  admiral 
replied  bluntly  "  that  he  was  not  invested  with  any  such 
authority,  his  commission  was  to  bring  her  to  England,  and 
he  had  obeyed  orders."  The  king  interrupted  them  by 
ordering  them  to  find  some  means  to  get  him  out  of  his 
engagement.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  discussion  about 
the  matter,  but  no  objection  to  the  marriage  could  be  in- 
vented that  would  be  at  all  satisfactory  to  Anne's  relations 
in  Germany,  so  Cromwell  assured  the  king  that  as  a  matter 
of  policy  he  must  do  nothing  to  gain  the  ill-will  of  her 
friends. 

"  Is  there  no  remedy  but  that  I  must  needs  put  my  neck 
into  this  yoke  ? "  exclaimed  Henry,  passionately. 

After  these  gracious  words,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  did 
not  reach  the  ears  of  the  insulted  lady  who  was  waiting  his 
orders  at  Dartford,  he  commanded  the  most  splendid  prep- 
arations to  be  made  for  his  marriage.  On  the  3d  of 
January  a  rich  tent,  covered  with  cloth  of  gold,  was  pitched 
at  the  foot  of  Shooter's  Hill  for  the  royal  bride,  and  other 
tents  around  for  her  ladies.  Twelve  hundred  gentlemen  were 
ranged  in  double  file  from  the  park  gates  to  the  heath 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  king  with  his  bride.  About  twelve 
o'clock  her  grace  came  down  from  Shooter's  Hill,  accom- 
panied by  a  hundred  of  her  own  nation,  the  Dukes  of  Nor- 
folk and  Suffolk,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  with  other 
bishops,  lords  and  knights  who  had  come  from  France,  and 
went  towards  the  tents,  where  Dr.  Kaye,  her  almoner,  pre- 
sented all  the  officers  and  servants  of  her  household,  and 
addressed  to  her  an  eloquent  Latin  oration,  of  which  she 
did  not  understand  a  word.  It  was  answered  by  her 
brother's  secretary,  who  acted  as  interpreter.  Then  Anne 
stepped  out  of  her  chariot,  and  was  saluted  and  welcomed 
by  sixty-five  ladies,  whom   she  thanked  and  kissed,  after 


i5i6.  Anne  of  Cleves.  415 

which  all  entered  the  tents  to  warm  themselves,  for  the 
weather  was  exceedingly  cold  and  disagreeable.  When 
the  king  heard  that  his  bride  had  arrived  at  her  tent  he  set 
out  through  the  park  to  meet  her,  accompanied  by  the 
officers  of  his  council  and  his  gentlemen  in  waiting,  all 
richly  attired  in  velvet  coats  embroidered  in  gold,  and 
mounted  on  fine  large  horses.  The  Marquis  of  Dorset  rode 
alone,  attired  in  purple  velvet  and  bearing  the  king's  sword 
of  state.  Some  distance  behind  him  came  Henry  VIII., 
mounted  on  a  splendid  white  courser  with  trappings  of 
cloth  of  gold  embroidered  with  pearls.  All  the  buckles, 
bit,  and  pendants  were  of  solid  gold.  The  king  wore  an 
embroidered  purple  velvet  coat,  the  sleeves  and  breast  of 
which  were  slashed,  showing  cloth  of  gold  beneath,  and 
fastened  together  with  large  buttons  of  diamonds,  rubies, 
and  oriental  pearls.  His  sword  and  girdle  were  studded 
with  costly  emeralds,  and  his  cap  was  so  covered  with 
jewels  that  it  was  not  possible  to  fix  a  value  on  it.  Around 
his  neck  was  a  deep  collar  thickly  studded  with  rubies  and 
pearls. 

When  the  bride  was  informed  of  Henry's  approach  she 
walked  out  of  her  tent,  mounted  a  white  horse,  and,  sur- 
rounded by  her  footmen,  rode  forward  to  meet  him.  Her 
dress  was  made  of  rich  cloth  of  gold,  cut  round  in  Dutch 
fashion  without  a  train.  On  her  head  she  wore  a  close 
cap,  above  which  was  a  circular  bonnet  ornamented  with 
oriental  pearls.  Across  her  brow  was  a  coronet  of  black 
velvet,  and  around  her  neck  a  band  of  superb  diamonds. 
Henry  saluted  her  in  the  most  courteous  manner,  took  off 
his  hat  and  embraced  her  as  though  he  really  cared  for  her, 
while  she,  not  forgetting  her  duty,  and  perhaps  the  instruc- 
tions she  had  received,  thanked  him  sweetly  and  praised 
the  arrangements  he  had  made  for  her  reception.  No 
doubt  he  was  pleased  with  all  the  flattering  remarks  she 


4l6  The  Queens  of  Engla^id. 

felt  obliged  to  make  to  him.  Then  he  put  her  on  his  right 
side  and  they  rode  along  together,  he  acting  a  deceitful 
part  in  trying  to  appear  pleased,  and  she  filled  with  indig- 
nation at  the  way  he  had  scorned  her. 

When  the  grand  cavalcade  that  followed  and  preceded 
the  royal  pair  arrived  at  Greenwich  Castle  all  the  men 
alighted  from  their  horses  excepting  the  king,  who  rode  to 
the  inner  court  with  his  bride.  When  the  queen  had 
alighted  from  her  horse  Henry  tenderly  embraced  her,  and 
bade  her  "welcome  to  her  own,"  then  conducted  her 
through  the  hall  that  had  been  prepared  for  her  reception. 
There  he  left  her  and  went  to  his  room,  where  he  had  an 
interview  with  Cromwell,  to  whom  he  made  bitter  com- 
plaints about  the  appearance  of  his  unlucky  bride. 

Cromwell  said  he  was  sorry  his  grace  was  not  better 
satisfied,  whereupon  Henry  bade  him  call  his  council 
together  to  see  whether  they  could  not  hit  upon  some  plan 
for  getting  him  out  of  this  marriage.  The  council  met 
that  very  afternoon,  but  failed  to  aid  the  king  out  of  his 
dilemma,  and  this  put  him  in  such  a  bad  humor  that  he 
would  not  say  what  he  had  determined  to  do  until  the 
next  Monday  morning;  then  he  ordered  the  marriage 
ceremony  to  be  performed  next  day,  without  even  consulting 
the  bride. 

He  wore  a  gown  of  cloth  of  gold,  with  raised  silver 
flowers  all  over  it.  His  coat  was  crimson  satin  embroidered 
and  slashed,  the  points  fastened  with  large  diamonds,  and 
a  rich  collar  about  his  neck. 

He  entered  the  presence-chamber,  arid  calling  Cromwell 
to  him,  said,  **  My  lord,  if  it  were  not  to  satisfy  the  world 
and  my  realm,  I  would  not  do  what  I  must  do  this  day  for 
any  earthly  thing."  Then  one  of  the  officers  of  the 
household  informed  him  that  the  queen  was  ready.  He 
advanced  towards  her   chamber  door,   but  had   to   wait 


151^-  Anne  of  Cleves.  417 

several  minutes  before  she  appeared,  which  made  him  very 
angry.  Who  can  blame  the  poor  woman  for  her  tardiness  ? 
she  would  have  been  excusable  if  she  had  refused  to  come 
at  all.  At  last  Henry  sent  one  of  his  lords  to  bring 
her.  She  was  dressed  in  a  robe  of  cloth  of  gold,  thickly 
embroidered  in  large  flowers  of  oriental  pearls.  The  skirt 
was  cut,  as  before,  round  without  a  train,  and  at  her  neck 
and  waist  were  costly  jewels.  Her  hair  fell  luxuriantly 
over  her  shoulders,  and  on  her  head  was  a  coronet  of 
diamonds,  with  a  few  sprigs  of  rosemary.  She  walked 
modestly  forward,  between  the  Earls  of  Overstein  and 
Essex,  with  a  sad,  demure  expression,  and  on  approaching 
the  spot  where  the  king  stood  made  three  low  obeisances. 
She  was  followed  by  her  ladies. 

The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and  Cranmer  performed 
the  marriage  ceremony,  the  Earl  of  Overstein  gave  her 
away,  and  on  her  wedding-ring  was  engraved  this  sentence 
"  God  send  me  weel  to  keepe." 

On  the  4th  of  February  the  king  and  queen  went  up  the 
Thames  in  grand  state  to  their  palace  of  Westminster. 
Henry  kept  up  an  outward  show  of  attention  to  his  bride, 
but  she  knew  not  the  art  of  pleasing,  felt  no  sympathy 
with  his  tastes,  and  could  not  gain  his  affection. 

She  knew  this,  but  could  not  help  it.  Several  times  she 
sent  for  Cromwell,  hoping  with  his  advice  to  be  more 
successful,  but  he  positively  refused  to  talk  privately  with 
her.     He  had  reasons  of  his  own  for  doing  so. 

On  the  I  St  of  May  a  company  of  the  gallant  knights  at 
court,  all  dressed  in  white  velvet  with  rich  ornaments,  had 
a  grand  tournament  in  honor  of  the  recent  marriage,  and 
this  was  the  last  time  Henry  and  Anne  of  Cleves  ever 
appeared  together  in  public. 

Anne  studied  the  English  language  industriously,  and 
tried  in  every  possible  manner  to  please  her  lord,  but  by 


41 8  The  Queens  of  England. 

the  end  of  five  months  she  was  convinced  that  it  was 
hopeless. 

There  was  a  low-born,  unprincipled  creature  at  court, 
named  Sir  Thomas  Wriothesley,  who  would  have  done  or 
said  anything  to  gain  favor  with  his  sovereign,  and  he 
kept  constantly  lamenting  over  Henry's  position,  and  how 
hard  it  was  for  him  to  be  bound  to  a  wife  whom  he  could 
not  love.  In  this  way  he  prepared  the  way  for  a  divorce, 
and  Henry  was  only  too  ready  to  avail  himself  of  any 
excuse.  Now  his  sensitive  conscience  began  to  trouble 
him  again.  This  time  it  was  on  the  score  of  religion ;  he 
could  not  bear  to  think  of  having  a  Lutheran  wife.  No 
wonder  poor  Anne  lost  patience,  and  in  a  moment  of  pique, 
told  him  that,  "  if  she  had  not  been  compelled  to  marry 
him  she  might  have  fulfilled  her  engagement  with  another 
to  whom  she  had  promised  her  hand." 

That  was  enough  for  him  ;  she  could  scarcely  have  said 
anything  that  would  have  suited  him  better,  and  he  at  once 
set  to  work  to  make  her  position  as  unpleasant  as  pos- 
sible. His  first  move  was  to  dismiss  all  her  foreign  attend- 
ants, and  supply  their  places  with  English  ladies  of  his 
own  selection. 

By  this  time  he  was  in  love  with  the  young  and  beautiful 
Katharine  Howard,  niece  to  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  and  had 
decided  to  make  her  his  wife  as  soon  as  he  could  manage 
it.  The  leaders  of  the  Catholic  party  favored  this  union,  and 
hoped  at  the  same  time  for  the  downfall  of  their  great  enemy, 
Cromwell.  They  were  soon  to  be  gratified,  for  Henry  now 
required  a  tool,  who  would  not  be  guided  by  the  nice  feel- 
ings of  a  gentleman,  for  carrjdng  out  his  plans.  Cromwell 
was  not  such  a  one,  and  he  must  be  put  out  of  the  way.  In 
this  reign  of  terror  nothing  was  easier,  and  in  less  thaq  a 
month  he  was  arrested  and  shut  up  in  the  Tower. 

A  few  days  later  Anne  was  sent  to  Richmond  under  pre- 


15'^  Anne  of  Cleves.  419 

tence  that  her  health  required  change  of  air,  and  this  was 
the  prelude  to  the  divorce  for  which  Henry  had  now  grown 
impatient. 

Archbishop  Cranmer  had  performed  the  marriage  cere- 
mony, and  it  now  became  his  duty  to  divorce  the  king  for 
the  third  time  in  less  than  seven  years.  This  was  accom- 
plished by  unanimous  consent  of  the  clergy  July  13.  As 
the  queen  was  a  stranger  to  English  laws  and  customs,  she 
was  spared  the  humiliation  of  appearing  before  the  council. 

When  everything  was  settled,  Suffolk,  Southampton,  and 
Wriothesley  were  appointed  to  go  to  Richmond  to  get  the 
queen's  consent.  She  was  so  alarmed  when  she  saw  them 
that  before  the  true  object  of  their  visit  could  be  explained 
to  her  she  fell  fainting  to  the  ground.  No  doubt  the  poor 
woman  thought  she  was  on  the  point  of  having  her  head 
cut  off.  When  she  recovered  consciousness,  she  was  told 
that  if  she  would  resign  her  title  as  queen  Henry  would 
adopt  her  for  a  sister,  and  that  she  should  be  endowed  with 
estates  to  the  value  of  ;^3,ooo  a  year.  This  was  an  immense 
relief,  and  Anne  expressed  her  willingness  to  resign  her 
honors  with  such  alacrity  that  the  lords  were  quite  surprised. 

When  Henry  heard  this,  and  saw  the  paper  she  had 
signed  to  that  effect,  he  could  not  believe  that  she  was  so 
ready  to  part  with  so  supremely  precious  a  person.  Fearing 
that  she  might  relent,  he  wrote  to  his  council  requesting 
them  to  have  her  write  a  letter  to  her  brother  explaining 
her  position,  and  expressing  her  earnest  desire  for  the 
divorce. 

Anne  then  wrote  her  mother  and  brother  that  she  was 
honorably  treated,  and  felt  quite  cheerful  and  contented. 
She  hoped  that  no  dispute  would  arise  between  her  native 
land  and  England,  where  she  purposed  spending  her  life, 
and  begged  them  in  no  way  to  interfere,  no  doubt  dreading 
that  if  they  did  so  it  would  be  visited  on  her  head. 


420 


The  Queens  of  England. 


[A.D.  1540.]      On    the   28th    of   July,   Cromwell  was 

beheaded,  and  the  pious,  learned  Doctor  Barnes,  who  had 
been  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  marriage,  was 
burned  at  the  stake. 

In  August  Henry  visited  his  divorced  wife  at  Richmond, 
and  was  so  well  received  by  her  that  he  stayed  to  supper 
and  seemed  in  excellent  humor.  Two  days  later  he  pub- 
licly introduced  Katharine  Howard  at  court  as  his  queen. 


WATERLOO   BRIDGE    AND   SOMERSET  HOUSE. 

In  the  meantime  Anne  passed  her  time  very  pleasantly  at 
Richmond,  dressed  magnificently,  and  performed  many 
deeds  of  charity ;  in  short,  she  was  happier  than  she  had 
been  since  her  departure  from  home. 

Sixteen  months  later  Katharine  was  thrown  into  prison, 
and  then  several  attempts  were  made  by  various  parties  to 
bring  about  the  reunion  of  Henry  and  Anne,  but  fortunately 
for  her  without  success.     From  her  retirement  she  heard 


1577. 


Anne  of  Cleves. 


421 


of  the  miser}'  the  king  endured  when  he  became  convinced 
of  how  his  new  wife  had  deceived  him,  and  she  must  have 
been  more  than  human  if  she  did  not  feel  somewhat  grati- 
fied when  the  royal  Bluebeard  was  compelled  to  part  from 
her. 

Katharine  Howard  enjoyed  sixteen  months  of  boundless 
influence  over  her  husband,  but  her  lucky  star  was  soon  to 
wane,  and  without  being  allowed  to  open  her  lips  in  her 
own  defence  save  to  her  confessor,  she  was  led  like  a  sheep 
to  the  slaughter.     Her  execution  took  place  February  13. 

[A.D.  1577.]  Anne  of  Cleves  outlived  Henry  VHI. 
and  his  last  wife,  and  died  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary 
at  the  Palace  of  Chelsea,  aged  forty-one. 


GUARD  CHAMBER,  LAMBETH  rAI.ACE. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

KATHARINE  HOWARD,  FIFTH  QUEEN  OF  HENRY  VIII. 
(A.D.   1521-1542.) 

There  is  not  a  family  in  England  whose  name  has  ap- 
peared so  often  in  its  history,  whether  for  good  or  for  bad, 
as  that  of  the  Howards,  nor  one  whose  members  filled 
such  varied  and  important  positions,  as  every  attentive 
reader  will  admit. 

Katharine  Howard  was  nearly  related  to  Anne  Boleyn ; 
she  became  the  fifth  wife  of  Henry  VIH.,  and  is  by  no 
means  one  of  the  nobler  specimens  of  the  family  to  which 
she  belonged. 

She  was  bom  in  152 1,  and  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
her  mother  while  she  was  still  young.  Her  father's 
duties  called  him  from  home  a  greater  part  of  the  time, 
and  the  Duchess  of  Norfolk,  her  grandmother,  who  had 
charge  of  Katharine,  was  so  neglectful  of  her  duty  as  to 
permit  the  child  to  choose  her  own  companions,  and  they 
were  unfortunately  low  and  degraded. 

Unlike  most  grandmothers,  the  duchess  merely  tolerated 
Katharine  in  her  household,  and  felt  that  she  had  per- 
formed her  part  when  the  little  maid  was  locked  in  her 
room,  and  the  key  safely  deposited  in  her  own  pocket. 
But,  like  many  naughty  girls,  Katharine  managed,  in  spite 
of  locks,  to  meet  Francis  Derham,  one  of  the  Duke  of 
Norfolk's  retainers,  to  whom  she  secretly  engaged  herself. 
In  order  to  be  nearer  his  lady-love,  Derham  entered  the 
service  of  her  grandmother  as  gentleman-usher.  After  a 
433 


IS3I.  Katharine  Howard.  423 

time  th'e  old  lady  began  to  observe  certain  signs  of  inti- 
macy between  this  pair  of  lovers,  and  on  entering  a  room 
one  day  unexpectedly  she  found  them  romping  together. 
Shocked  at  the  familiarity  of  her  usher  towards  her  grand- 
daughter, she  boxed  the  ears  of  the  lady-attendant  for  per- 
mitting it,  punished  Katharine,  and  dismissed  Derham 
from  her  service. 

After  that  Katharine  was  kept  under  greater  restraint. 


HEADS  ON  OLD  LONDON  BRIDGE. 


and  as  she  grew  into  womanhood  learned  to  behave 
properly,  and  became  remarkable  for  her  charming  and 
graceful  manners. 

She  met  Henry  VIII.  the  first  time  at  a  banquet  given 
by  the  Bishop  of  Winchester  to  celebrate  the  monarch's 
marriage  with  Anne  of  Cleves,  and  afterwards  at  the  house 
of  Gardiner.  The  king  took  such  a  fancy  to  her  that  it 
was  not  long  before  he  secured  her  appointment  as  maid- 
of-honor  to  the  queen.  It  has  been  supposed  that  Kath- 
arine was   instrumental   in  bringing  about  the  death  of 


424  The  Queens  of  England. 

Cromwell,  but,  as  she  only  intrigued  for  the  king's  favors, 
it  is  not  probable  that  she  troubled  her  head  about  poli- 
tics. 

Henry  VIII.  fell  in  love  with  her  as  he  had  done  with 
Anne  Boleyn  and  Jane  Seymour,  when  they  were  maids-of- 
honor,  and  little  Katharine  was  silly  enough  to  be  flattered 
by  the  marks  of  favor  he  showed  her.  The  Duchess  of 
Norfolk,  instead  of  warning  the  girl  of  her  danger,  was 
foolish  enough  to  encourage  her  to  court  the  king's  atten- 
tion, and  provided  her  with  fine  clothes  to  make  her  as 
attractive  as  possible  to  his  majesty. 

Henry  was  easily  won,  and  privately  married  Katharine 
a  few  days  after  he  was  divorced  from  Anne  of  Cleves. 

[A.D.  1540.]  On  the  8th  of  August,  1540,  the  new  bride 
was  introduced  at  Hampton  Court  as  Queen  of  England. 
A  short  honeymoon  was  passed  at  Windsor,  and  then  the 
royal  couple  made  a  tour  through  several  counties,  but  the 
king  had  exhausted  his  treasury  when  he  married  his 
Flemish  bride,  so  he  could  not  honor  Katharine  Howard 
with  either  a  coronation  or  a  marriage  festival.  But  he 
was  very  much  in  love,  and  lavished  affection  on  her. 

Six  months  of  peace  and  happiness  were  enjoyed  by  the 
royal  couple,  Henry  seldom  leaving  the  side  of  his  young 
wife,  nor  permitting  any  of  his  councillors  to  interrupt  his 
pleasures.  Katharine  felt  her  power,  and  forgot  what  had 
been  the  fate  of  her  predecessors.  She  was  soon  to  be  re- 
minded, however,  for  the  realm  had  become  divided  into 
two  parties  —  the  Catholic  and  Protestant,  and  both  were 
strong.  The  Reformers  fondly  hoped  that  Anne  of  Cleves 
might  be  restored  to  her  former  position,  and  regarded 
Katharine  in  the  same  unfavorable  light  as  Anne  Boleyn 
had  been  looked  upon  by  the  Catholics. 

At  last,  in  the  spring,  came  a  crisis  in  the  shape  of  an 
insurrection  by  the  Catholics  in  Yorkshire,  headed  by  Sir 


1S40'  Katharine  Howard.  427 

John  Neville.  Henry  thought  Cardinal  Pole  was  the 
cause  of  it,  and  so  took  his  revenge  by  ordering  the  execu- 
tion of  the  Countess  of  Salisbury,  Pole's  mother,  who  had 
been  in  the  Tower  for  more  than  a  year.  When  the  aged 
lady  heard  of  it  she  refused  to  lay  her  head  upon  the 
block,  saying,  "  So  should  traitors  do,  but  I  am  none,  and 
if  you  will  have  my  head  you  must  win  it  as  you  can." 
Thereupon  the  brutal  ruffian  who  acted  as  executioner 
dragged  her  by  her  hoary  locks,  and  "  slovenly  butchered 
the  woman  in  whose  veins  flowed  the  noblest  blood  of 
England." 

For  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  exact  state  of  affairs 
in  Yorkshire,  King  Henry  set  out  with  his  wife  for  that 
place  early  in  July,  1541,  leaving  Cranmer,  Audley,  and 
Seymour,  three  Protestant  adherents,  among  his  councillors 
at  home.  At  Yorkshire  the  royal  couple  were  met  by  two 
hundred  gentlemen  in  velvet  coats,  with  four  thousand 
yeomen,  who  knelt  while  one  of  their  number  offered  nine 
hundred  pounds.  At  another  place  three  hundred  eccle- 
siastics presented  six  hundred  pounds,  and  so  on  until 
Henry  found  himself  much  richer  than  when  he  started  on 
his  journey.  Queen  Katharine  saw  more  of  the  pomp  of 
royalty  at  this  time  than  she  had  done  during  the  whole 
year  before,  for  the  wealthy  aristocracy  in  every  part  of  the 
country  vied  with  each  other  in  the  grandeur  of  their  enter- 
tainments given  in  honor  of  the  royal  couple. 

Katharine  had  been  married  litde  more  than  a  year 
when  Francis  Derham  returned  to  England,  and  she  com- 
mitted the  error  of  appointing  him  as  her  private  secretary. 
As  soon  as  the  king  heard  of  the  relation  that  had  existed 
between  this  man  and  his  wife  previous  to  her  marriage  his 
jealousy  was  aroused,  and  the  Protestant  statesmen  took 
good  care  to  encourage  every  suspicion  that  entered  their 
monarch's  head.     Meanwhile   poor  little   Katharine  was 


428  The  Queens  of  England. 

entirely  unconscious  of  the  storm  that  was  gathering  about 
her. 

King  Henry  was  soon  forced  to  order  her  removal  from 
Hampton  Court.  Wriothesley  and  Rich  were  the  unprin- 
cipled, cruel  agents  who,  determined  upon  the  destruction 
of  the  queen,  persecuted  her  until  she  was  beside  herself 
with  terror  and  grief.  Then,  too,  she  loved  her  husband, 
and  when  she  was  compelled  to  leave  him  without  one 
word  of  farewell,  one  look  of  compassion,  her  heart  was 
almost  broken.  The  king  suffered  also,  but  his  council 
took  little  heed  of  that;  it  would  be  dangerous  for  them 
were  Katharine  to  regain  her  power. 

Shakespeare  truly  says : 

"  Trifles,  light  as  air. 
Are  to  the  jealous  confirmations  strong 
As  proofs  of  holy  writ." 

Katharine  was  removed  to  Sion  House,  and  thence  a 
few  days  later  to  the  gloomy  dungeon  of  the  Tower. 

During  the  short  season  of  terror  that  succeeded  the 
queen's  arrest,  Derham,  the  poor  old  Duchess  of  Norfolk, 
Culpepper,  Katharine's  cousin,  and  several  other  persons 
who  were  guilty  of  no  crime  but  that  of  suspecting  the 
attachment  that  had  existed  before  her  marriage  between 
Katharine  and  Derham,  were  executed. 

On  the  1 6th  of  January,  1542,  parliament  met  to  decide 
the  fate  of  the  queen,  and  without  granting  her  the  priv- 
ilege of  uttering  one  word  in  her  own  defence  she  was 
condemned  to  die.  The  14th  of  the  following  month  was 
fixed  upon  for  the  execution  of  this  beautiful  young  girl, 
against  whom  no  crime  could  be  proved  even  through  the 
instrumentality  of  the  torture. 

[A.D.  1542.]  She  met  her  death  calmly  and  meekly, 
professing  to  the  last  her  loyalty  to  the  king.     Her  burial 


1542. 


Katharine  Hotvard. 


429 


took  place  immediately  without  even  the  ceremonies  that 
would  have  been  accorded  to  the  meanest  of  her  subjects ; 
she  was  interred  in  St.  Peter's  chapel  of  the  Tower.  When 
speaking  of  Henry  VIII.,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  says  :  "  If  all 
the  patterns  of  a  merciless  tyrant  had  been  lost  to  the 
world  they  might  have  been  found  in  this  prince." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

KATHARINE    PARR,    SIXTH   QUEEN   OF   HENRY  VIII. 
(A.D.  1513-1548.) 

Katharine  Parr  was  the  first  Protestant  Queen  of 
England,  and  the  only  one  of  the  wives  of  Henry  VIII.  who 
supported  the  doctrine  of  the  Reformation  with  sincerity. 
She  was  an  Englishwoman,  but  not  of  royal  birth,  being  the 
only  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  Parr,  a  knight.  She  was 
gifted  by  nature  with  a  fine  mind,  which  was  carefully  cul- 
tivated by  her  excellent  mother,  as  some  of  her  writings 
that  still  exist  certainly  prove.  She  read  and  wrote  Latin 
well,  and  had  some  knowledge  of  Greek. 

When  a  little  girl  she  never  could  bear  to  sew,  and  often 
said  to  her  mother,  "  my  hands  are  ordained  to  touch 
crowns  and  sceptres,  not  spindles  and  needles."  But  Lady 
Parr  was  too  wise  to  allow  such  notions  to  take  a  strong 
hold  of  her  daughter's  mind,  and  insisted  on  her  perform- 
ing those  duties  that  befitted  her  station  in  life ;  con- 
sequently her  embroidery,  of  which  specimens  have  been 
preserved,  shows  unusual  skill  and  industry.  At  Lizergh 
Castle  a  magnificent  counterpane  and  toilet-cover  are  ex- 
hibited as  the  work  of  her  hands,  and  although  three 
centuries  have  passed  since  it  was  done,  the  colors  are 
scarcely  dimmed  at  all.  The  material  is  the  richest  white 
satin.  In  the  centre  is  a  medallion  of  a  raised  eagle 
beneath  the  royal  crown,  surrounded  by  a  wreath  of  flowers 
in  colored  silks  and  gold  thread.  At  each  corner  is  a  large 
dragon  in  purple,  crimson,  and  gold,  while  bouquets  of 
430 


KATHARINE    PARR. 


1543-  Katharine  Parr.  433 

flowers  in  gorgeous  colors  are  dispersed  here  and  there 
over  the  other  part.  The  pieces  match,  but  are  of  different 
proportions. 

Katharine  was  married  twice  before  she  became  the  wife 
of  Henry  VIII.  Her  first  husband  was  Lord  Edward 
Borough,  a  middle-aged  widower  with  several  children,  who 
died  a  short  time  after  the  marriage.  John  Neville,  Lord 
Latimer,  was  her  second  choice ;  he  was  also  a  widower 
with  children,  and  Katharine's  amiable  temper  and  sound 
sense  so  well  fitted  her  to  perform  the  duties  a  stepmother 
that  she  was  loved  and  esteemed  by  the  families  of  both 
her  husbands. 

She  was  not  more  than  twenty-nine  years  old  when  she 
was  left  a  widow  for  the  second  time.  It  was  then  that 
she  became  a  convert  to  the  Reformed  religion,  and  en- 
couraged its  apostles  to  meet  daily  in  her  chamber  of  state 
to  preach  their  sermons. 

She  was  not  only  pious,  learned  and  handsome,  but  she 
possessed  great  wealth,  and  was  connected  by  descent  or 
marriage  with  some  of  the  noblest  families  in  England. 

Scarcely  six  months  had  elapsed  after  the  death  of  Lord 
Latimer  when  she  was  informed  by  Henry  VIII.  that  she 
was  the  lady  whom  he  intended  to  honor  by  making  her 
his  sixth  wife.  She  was  amazed,  and  no  doubt  terrified, 
when  she  recalled  the  cruel  treatment  of  her  royal  suitor's 
other  victims.  Besides  Lord  Seymour  was  courting  her, 
and  she  had  favored  his  attentions.  But  that  gentleman 
valued  his  head  so  much  that  no  sooner  did  he  hear  of  his 
all-powerful  royal  brother-in-law's  intention  than  he  van- 
ished from  the  scene,  leaving  Katharine  to  transfer  her 
affection  as  best  she  might. 

[A.D.  1543.]  She  exchanged  her  widow's  weeds  for 
bridal  robes,  and  was  married  at  Hampton  Court  without 
pageantry,  but  with  all  suitable  observance  of  ceremony. 


434  ^^^  Queens  of  England. 

We  are  reminded  of  the  fair  Scheherazade  in  the  Arabian 
Nights,  who  married  the  sultan,  knowing  that  it  was  his 
custom  to  take  a  fresh  wife  every  day  and  cut  off  her  head 
in  the  morning. 

But  the  cross,  selfish  old  tyrant  whom  Katharine  Parr 
had  the  courage  to  marry  was  in  such  bad  health  that  he 
needed  a  skilful  nurse ;  perhaps  for  that  reason  she  felt 
confident  that  her  position  would  be  secure.  On  the  day 
of  her  marriage  she  gave  presents  of  bracelets  set  with 
rubies,  as  well  as  a  liberal  sum  of  money,  to  the  Princesses 
Mary  and  Elizabeth. 

The  University  of  Cambridge  sent  the  king  a  congratu- 
latory letter  on  his  choice  of  a  Protestant  wife,  and  the 
celebrated  Roger  Ascham  corresponded  with  her  in  the 
name  of  that  college,  requesting  her  to  write  oftener,  and 
not  to  shrink  from  being  called  learned.  The  dignity  of 
the  scholar  and  the  queen  are  beautifully  blended  with  the 
tenderness  of  the  woman  in  the  character  of  Katharine 
Parr  after  she  ascended  the  throne. 

She  became  an  object  of  jealous  ill-will  to  Gardiner,  the 
leader  of  the  Catholic  party,  who  feared  her  influence  over 
the  king.  Scarcely  two  weeks  after  the  marriage  he  ad- 
vised Henry  to  appoint  a  commission  to  search  every  house 
in  Windsor  for  books  written  in  favor  of  the  new  religion. 
Henry  consented,  but  made  an  exception  of  the  castle,  no 
doubt  having  reason  to  know  that  more  of  such  works 
would  be  found  hidden  away  in  his  own  household  than  in 
all  the  town  put  together. 

The  result  was  that  many  men  and  women  were  arrested, 
tried,  and  condemned  to  death,  and  although  the  flames  of 
their  martyrdom  were  kindled  almost  in  sight  of  the  Prot- 
estant queen,  she  was  unable  to  save  the  victims.  She 
knew  well  enough  that  the  murder  of  these  humble  Re- 
formers was  a  blow  aimed  at  herself,  and  that  Gardiner  was 


1543'  Katharine  Parr.  435 

playing  a  bold  game  against  all  those  professing  her 
religion.  • 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  justice  that  Katharine  performed 
after  she  became  queen  was  to  restore  the  king's  two 
daughters,  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  to  their  proper  position  at 
court,  after  which  she  was  constantly  making  them  pres- 
ents, and  showing  them  many  deeds  of  tenderness  and 
motherly  care.  She  and  Mary  were  opposed  to  each  other 
in  religious  belief,  but  they  were  about  the  same  age,  had 
the  same  accomplishments  and  tastes,  and  soon  became 
warm  and  steadfast  friends.  Elizabeth's  brilliant  talents 
were  drawn  forth  and  encouraged  by  her  gifted  step- 
mother, who  also  directed  the  studies  of  Edward. 

In  one  of  his  letters  to  her  he  says  :  "  I  thank  you,  most 
noble  and  excellent  queen,  for  the  letters  you  have  lately 
sent  me  ;  not  only  for  their  beauty,  but  for  their  imagina- 
tion. When  I  see  your  good  writing  and  the  excellence 
of  your  genius,  quite  surpassing  my  invention,  I  am  sick  of 
writing.  But  then  I  think  how  kind  your  nature  is,  and 
that  whatever  proceeds  from  a  good,  kind  intention  will 
be  acceptable ;  and  so  I  write  you  this  letter." 

Her  celebrated  work,  "  The  Lamentations  of  a  Sinner," 
is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  English  composition  of 
that  period.  It  is  a  treatise  on  morality  and  the  imperfec- 
tions of  human  nature. 

Henry  would  have  been  miserable  with  a  woman  of  such 
superior  intellect  if  she  had  not  constantly  flattered  him 
and  studied  his  various  moods.  But  so  great  was  the  in- 
fluence she  acquired  over  him,  and  the  confidence  he  felt 
in  her  wisdom,  that  when  he  went  on  an  expedition  against 
France  he  appointed  her  to  govern  his  realm  as  Queen 
Regent  of  England  and  Ireland,  assisted  by  the  Earl  of 
Hertford. 

During  his  absence  he  wrote  very  loving  letters  to  his 


43^  The  Queens  of  England. 

wife,  who,  together  with  her  royal  step-children,  resided  in 
one  house.  • 

[A.D.  1544.]  She  showed  a  great  deal  of  moral  cour- 
age, but  by  her  beauty,  tact,  and  domestic  virtues  she  had 
made  herself  so  necessary  to  her  fat,  dropsical  husband 
that  she  was  dearer  to  him  than  any  of  her  predecessors 
had  been. 

Henry  had  become  so  unwieldy  from  disease  that  he 
could  not  move  without  assistance,  and  his  wife  showed 
herself  the  most  patient  and  tender  of  nurses.  Sometimes 
she  would  remain  on  her  knees  for  hours  bathing  and 
bandaging  his  ulcerated  leg,  for  he  would  not  permit  any- 
body to  touch  it  but  her. 

[A.D.  1546.]  The  last  occasion  of  festivity  at  the  court 
of  Henry  VHI.  was  when  ambassadors  arrived  to  arrange 
terms  of  peace  between  France  and  England.  They  were 
met  by  a  numerous  cavalcade  of  nobles,  knights  and  gen- 
tlemen, headed  by  the  young  heir  to  the  throne.  Prince 
Edward,  who,  though  only  in  his  ninth  year,  was  mounted 
on  a  charger,  and  welcomed  them  in  the  most  graceful  and 
engaging  manner.  He  conducted  them  to  Hampton 
Court,  where  for  ten  days  they  were  feasted  and  enter- 
tained with  great  magnificence  by  the  king  and  queen. 

Henry  presented  Katharine  with  jewels  of  great  value, 
that  she  might  make  a  good  appearance  before  their  French 
guests,  he  also  provided  new  and  costly  hangings  and 
furniture  for  her  apartments  as  well  as  a  quantity  of  hand- 
some silver. 

Wriothesley  and  Bishop  Gardiner  were  alarmed  at  Kath- 
arine's ever-increasing  influence,  not  only  over  her  hus- 
band, but  over  the  mind  of  young  Edward  as  well,  and" 
watched  her  closely,  in  the  hope  that  they  might  be  able 
to  make  some  charge  against  her.  Nothing  offered  itself 
excepting  her  religious  opinions,  which  were  opposed  to 
Henry's. 


1546-  Katharine  Parr.  439 

Several  persons  were  burned  to  death  about  this  time 
for  professing  the  reformed  doctrine,  among  whom  was  the 
young,  beautiful  and  learned  Anne  Askew.  She  was  a 
lady  of  honorable  birth,  who  became  a  convert  to  the  new 
faith,  and  was  for  that  reason  violently  driven  from  her 
home  by  her  cruel  husband.  Resuming  her  maiden  name, 
she  worked  hard  for  her  religion,  and  was  aided  by  the 
first  ladies  at  court.  When  it  was  discovered  that  she  had 
sent  books  to  the  queen,  she  was  singled  out  as  a  victim 
by  those  who  hoped  by  means  of  torture  to  wring  some 
confession  from  her  by  which  Katharine  might  be  charged 
with  heresy  or  treason.  But  they  were  mistaken,  for  the 
heroic  Anne  Askew  died  at  the  stake  like  a  true  martyr, 
"  with  an  angelic  expression  on  her  smiling  countenance." 

Sir  George  Blagge  was  arrested  also,  but  he  happened  to 
be  one  of  the  king's  prime  favorites,  and  was  sometimes 
called  by  the  endearing  nickname  of  "  pig."  As  soon  as 
Henry  heard  of  this  arrest  he  sent  for  Wriothesley  and 
rated  him  well,  commanding  him  to  draw  up  a  pardon  on 
the  spot.  On  his  release  Blagge  flew  to  thank  his  pre- 
server, who  on  seeing  him  cried  out,  '*  Ah !  my  pig,  are 
you  here  safe  again !"  "  Yes,  sire,"  was  the  reply,  "  and 
if  your  majesty  had  not  been  better  than  your  bishops  your 
pig  had  been  roasted  ere  this  time." 

The  next  attack  was  on  the  queen  herself,  whom  Wrioth- 
esley and  Gardiner  had  resolved  to  strike  with  a  fatal 
blow.  They  told  the  king  that  her  sister.  Lady  Herbert, 
not  only  read  the  books  that  he  had  prohibited,  but  also 
gave  them  to  Katharine  to  read.  Now  it  happened  that 
the  royal  couple  often  conversed  on  theological  subjects  in 
their  hours  of  domestic  privacy,  and  Henry  enjoyed  his 
wife's  ready  wit  and  eloquence.  She  courted  these  sub- 
jects, because,  knowing  that  he  was  suffering  from  an  in- 
curable malady,  she  felt  it  her  duty  to  turn  his  mind 
heavenward. 


440  The  Queens  of  England. 

One  day  in  the  presence  of  Gardiner  she  went  a  little  too 
far  in  opposing  her  lord's  views,  and  as  he  was  suffering 
with  his  leg  he  felt  rather  more  irritable  than  usual.  He 
therefore  snappishly  put  a  stop  to  the  discussion ;  after 
making  a  few  pleasant  remarks  Kathanne  left  the  room. 
"  A  good  hearing  it  is,"  said  Henry  sharply,  "  when  women 
become  such  clerks ;  and  much  to  my  comfort  to  come,  in 
mine  old  age,  to  be  taught  by  my  wife !  "  Gardiner  took 
advantage  of  the  king's  wounded  vanity  to  insinuate  things 
against  his  wife  that  he  would  not  have  dared  to  say  a  few 
days  before.  He  flattered  him  on  his  knowledge  of 
theology,  and  declared  that  his  majesty  excelled  the  princes 
of  that  age  and  every  other,  as  well  as  all  the  professed 
doctors  of  divinity,  so  much  that  it  was  absurd  for  anybody 
to  think  of  arguing  with  him  as  the  queen  had  just  done. 
He  added  that  it  was  painful  for  any  of  his  counsellors  to 
hear  it,  because  those  who  were  so  bold  in  words  would  not 
hesitate  to  commit  any  act  of  disobedience.  In  fact  he 
so  poisoned  the  king's  mind  as  to  gain  from  him  a  warrant 
to  consult  with  others  of  his  party  about  drawing  up 
articles  against  the  queen  that  might  bring  her  head  to  the 
block.  But  they  decided  to  begin  with  the  ladies  of  the 
court  whom  she  esteemed  most,  and  to  search  their  trunks 
and  closets  for  something  to  charge  Katharine  with,  and 
after  they  had  found  it  to  arrest  her  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  and  take  her  in  a  barge  to  the  Tower. 

All  this  time  the  queen  suspected  nothing,  but  continued 
her  nursing  of  her  husband  and  her  religious  discussions 
with  him  as  before.  One  day  an  attendant  of  Katharine's 
picked  up  a  paper  in  the  galler\'  of  Whitehall  that  Wrioth- 
esley  had  dropped.  It  contained  a  list  of  charges  against 
the  queen  with  an  order  for  her  arrest,  and  bore  Henry's 
signature.  The  terrified  woman  had  an  attack  of  hysterics 
as  soon  as  she  became  acquainted  with  the  contents  of  the 


1546.  Katharine  Parr,  441 

paper ;  as  her  apartment  was  next  to  the  king's  he  heard 
her  shrieks  and  cries,  and  sent  to  inquire  what  was  the 
matter.  Her  doctor  informed  the  messenger  that  the  queen 
was  seriously  ill,  and  that  the  cause  seemed  to  be  distress 
of  mind.  No  doubt  Henry  realized  how  much  he  should 
miss  her  gentle  nursing  if  she  should  die,  so  he  determined 
to  pay  her  a  visit.  Accordingly  he  was  wheeled  into  her 
room  in  a  chair,  and  was  really  alarmed  when  he  saw  how 
ill  she  looked.  After  a  few  minutes  she  assured  him  that  his 
visit  had  greatly  revived  her,  and  at  the  same  time  ex- 
pressed her  regret  at  having  seen  so  little  of  him  for  a  few 
days,  and  her  fears  that  she  had  unintentionally  given  him 
some  cause  for  offence.  Henry  replied  kindly  and  affec- 
tionately. Then  she  was  so  humble  and  loving  in  her 
manner  that  a  reaction  took  place  in  the  humor  of  her  im- 
perious lord,  and  he  told  the  physician  of  the  plot  against 
the  patient's  life. 

The  next  evening  Katharine  felt  well  enough  to  return 
the  king's  visit.  She  entered  his  room,  attended  by  her 
sister,  Lady  Herbert,  and  the  king's  young  niece.  Lady 
Jane  Grey,  who  carried  the  candles  before  her  majesty. 
Henry  welcomed  her  courteously,  but  in  course  of  time 
tried  to  draw  her  into  a  religious  argument  as  usual.  She 
avoided  the  snare  by  observing,  "that  she  was  but  a 
woman,  with  all  the  imperfections  natural  to  the  weakness 
of  her  sex,  therefore  in  all  matters  of  doubt  and  difficulty 
she  must  refer  herself  to  his  majesty's  better  judgment ; 
for,"  she  continued,  "  God  hath  appointed  you  supreme 
head  of  us  all,  and  of  you,  next  unto  God,  will  I  ever 
learn." 

"  Not  so,  by  St.  Mary !  "  cried  the  king,  "ye  are  become 
a  doctor,  Kate,  to  instruct  us,  and  not  to  be  instructed  of 
us,  as  oftentime  we  have  seen." 

"  Indeed,"  replied  she,  "  if  your  majesty  have  so  con- 


442  The  Queens  of  England. 

ceived  my  meaning  has  been  mistaken,  for  I  have  always 
held  it  preposterous  for  a  woman  to  instruct  her  lord  ;  and 
if  I  have  ever  presumed  to  differ  with  your  highness  on 
religion  it  was  partly  to  gain  information  for  my  own 
comfort  regarding  certain  nice  points  on  which  I  stood  in 
doubt,  and  sometimes  because  I  perceived  that  in  talking 
you  were  better  able  to  pass  away  the  pain  and  weariness 
of  your  present  infirmity,  which  encouraged  me  to  this 
boldness,  in  the  hope  of  profiting  by  your  majesty's  learned 
discourse." 

There  was  no  limit  to  the  flattery  that  this  egotist  could 
stand.  With  a  complacent  smile  he  replied,  "  And  is  it 
so,  sweetheart  ?  Then  we  are  perfect  friends."  He  then 
kissed  her,  and  gave  her  leave  to  depart. 

On  the  day  appointed  for  her  arrest  the  king  felt  better, 
and  sent  for  her  to  take  the  air  with  him  in  the  garden. 
She  came  attended  by  three  ladies.  Presently  Wriothes- 
ley  with  forty  armed  men  entered  the  garden  with  the  in- 
tention of  carrying  the  queen  off  to  the  Tower.  But  he 
had  not  been  informed  of  the  change  in  the  king's  mind. 
To  his  great  surprise  Henry  received  him  with  a  burst  of 
indignation,  calling  him  beast,  fool,  and  knave,  and  bidding 
him  get  out  of  his  sight.  Katharine  tried  to  calm  him,  and 
begged  forgiveness  for  her  foe. 

"  Ah !  poor  soul,"  said  the  king,  "  thou  little  knowest, 
Kate,  how  evil  he  deserveth  this  grace  at  thy  hands.  On 
my  word,  sweetheart,  he  hath  been  to  thee  a  very  knave ! " 

Now  if  Katharine  had  not  been  a  woman  of  forbearance 
and  real  virtue  she  would  immediately  have  turned  on  her 
enemies  when  she  had  the  king  in  her  power,  but  instead 
of  that  she  induced  him  to  overlook  Wriothesley's  offence, 
but  he  never  forgave  Gardiner  the  blunder  he  had  made,  and 
not  only  struck  his  name  from  his  council-book  but  forbade 
him  his  presence.     Henry  is  said  to  have  been  very  kind 


1547'  Katharine  Parr.  443 

• 

and  affectionate  to  Katharine  during  his  latter  days,  yet  it 
was  well-known  that  he  was  preparing  another  charge  of 
heresy  against  her  when  death  overtook  him,  and  that  she 
survived  him  only  by  special  good  luck. 

■[A.D.  1547.]  Henry  VIII.  expired  January  28,  1547, 
at  the  royal  palace  of  Westnunster,  in  the  fifty-sixth  year  of 
his  age. 

When  his  will  was  opened  Katharine  was  surprised  and 
indignant  to  find  that  she  was  not  appointed  regent  of  the 
realm,  with  the  care  of  the  young  King  Edward  VI.,  as  she 
deserved  to  be. 

The  king's  body  lay  in  state  for  several  days,  and  was 
then  buried  with  great  pomp  in  St.  George's  Chapel, 
Windsor  Castle, 

A  few  months  after  his  death  Katharine  returned  to  her 
former  lover.  Sir  Thomas  Seymour,  to  whom  she  was 
married  in  the  month  of  May,  1547.  Her  royal  step- 
children were  much  pleased  at  this  match,  and  continued 
their  affection  for  Katharine  throughout  her  life. 


ESSEX  HOUSE. 


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